Infinite Stratos Flesh and Metal
by Palladin1337
Summary: Simon Felix, an American, joins Ichika Orimura as the first two males to ever be able to operate an IS. They both quickly get caught up in the relationship drama of the all-girl Academy. However, another force has plans for the two of them and their IS. Something connected to Simon's past, and the reason he became an IS pilot. This will become an AU once the Silver Gospel appears.
1. Chapter 1

**A brief word from the author; While I will be sure to give this fanfic the proper rating, I feel that I must warn you, dear reader, in advance that there will be a couple parts in this story where I will touch on some pretty dark material. I hope to only have these parts take up a small part of the chapters they will be in, and not allow them to become the main focus of the story. Just remember, I have warned you.**

 **Note; italics show people's thoughts.**

Chapter 1; The New Guys.

If Simon had to summarize what he was feeling waiting aboard the train, it would be a combination of anticipation, dread, and boredom. Of course he was nervous, I mean, he was being sent to the Infinite Stratos Academy in Japan. He had been cursing his genetic luck for **that** one since he received the letter informing him of his 'relocation.' This was also causing the feelings of dread since up until now the only IS pilots where girls. No one was really sure why, except maybe the one who created the technology, but women where the only ones physically capable of piloting an IS. _Until_ I _came along, of course_ he thought gloomily. It's not that he didn't want to go, but that he was very aware of the fact that he would be surrounded by women in a previously all-women environment. There was something about being under constant scrutiny that did not appeal to him.

As for the last of those feelings, the boredom came from the fact he had been sitting in this damned train car for the better part of an hour, waiting for the only other male pilot in existence. Apparently they were supposed to travel to the Academy together, for security reasons. Although, why someone would decide to randomly bomb this particular train was beyond him. Sighing, he pulled his IPod out of his pocket, put the earbuds in, brought up one of his playlists and settled into his seat to wait for the other boy. A half hour into his music, he noticed movement to his right and turned to see another boy dressed in the Academy's uniform.

Taking advantage of the fact that the boy hadn't quite seen him yet, Simon quickly sized the other student up; dark blue-black hair, an athletic build (not ripped, but definitely fit) probably from some kind of sport, and fairly nervous based on the slight quiver in his hands. To be honest, Simon wasn't exactly a good standard for comparison. After a few months of training with his own IS (designed by him) he was in pretty good shape, but not what he would consider great shape. Deciding to take the initiative, Simon stopped his music and cleared his throat to get the other guy's attention.

"So I guess you're the other one. That or I've been on the wrong train for an hour." Simon said after the other boy turned around. Standing up and offering his hand, he continued, "Simon Felix. Nice to meet you, mister..?" "Ichika Orimura." The other student responded, shaking his hand. "So, you're going to the Academy, to?" he asked as he set his bag down and sat across from Simon. Looking out the window, he watched the scenery as the train began to move.

"Yep, can't wait to see all the beautiful women when we arrive. It's gonna be paradise." Simon said, turning back to his IPod. Noticing the look he got from Ichika, he quickly decided to correct any troubling thoughts he might be having. "Dude, that was sarcasm. I'm just hoping we don't get torn apart when we get there. Or drowned."

"How would we drown? We're on an island." Ichika asked, puzzled. "Who said I meant water?" Simon shot back, settling back into his seat to let Ichika stew that one over. He still looked genuinely confused over what Simon had said. _Okay, not the brightest bulb. Gonna have to work on that_ he thought, turning to look out his own window. Simon had to admit, the scenery was very nice. There were only a couple places where he grew up in the states that looked this nice year-round. The water was clear, as was the sky, and the entire scene had the feel of one of those postcard moments. As they approached the Academy, they both got a good look at their new home. The docks and warehouses gave way to housing, stadiums and a large spiral tower in the center of the island. Though they weren't aware of it, both boys were wishing that maps would be provided when they arrived. Getting lost on an island full of women did not seem like the best idea.

"So," Simon began, feeling that something had to be said. "I'll respect the bro code as long as you will. Agreed?" Looking at Ichika, he saw him nod, although he looked a little confused as to why it might matter. _Oh well, he'll probably clue in after the first day of class_ Simon thought as he waited for the train to stop at the station. Noticing a woman with the air of authority waiting for them at the station, he assumed that this was their escort to their room. Sighing again at his luck in the genetic lottery, Simon stood up, grabbed his bag and waited with Ichika at the door as the train came to a stop. After exchanging quick greetings, they were whisked away towards the student housing. To both their relief, they were sharing a room, although it was on the third floor. This only seemed to bother Simon as he could already imagine the elevator rides he would have to take, and with whom said rides would be.

After claiming beds (Simon taking the far bed), unpacking and cleaning up, they both were trying to think of ways to try and start up a conversation. In a sudden burst of inspiration, Simon grabbed one of the controllers to the game console he had brought along. "Hey, you play any kinds of games?" Looking up at the ceiling in thought, Ichika then grabbed the other controller and replied, "Yeah, you got any fighting games?" Smiling slightly, Simon brought up his copy of Mortal Combat. "Hope you don't mind me kicking your ass on the first night." They both grinned as Simon started up the game. About 6 hours later, they were both dead tired after a match that ended with them calling it a draw, on account of neither of them could keep their eyes open any longer. Turning everything off, they both collapsed on their respective beds and fell asleep in moments.

* * *

Yawning as he walked towards his classroom, Simon checked the paper in his hand again for the number. _Room 1-1, huh? Won't even question that_ he thought as he walked through the door and immediately felt the eyes of every girl in the room boring into him. Glancing around, he took in the room and tried to decide what it was about him that drew their attention. It was either the long dirty blonde hair, the green eyes, or it could simply be the fact that he was one of two boys that were joining their class. _Probably the latter of those_ he thought as he took his seat by the window. Tuning out the whispering of the other students as they were undoubtedly checking him out, he brought out the book he was currently reading and flipped to where he had left off.

About a paragraph in, he sensed someone standing over him and looked up to see a girl in a modified uniform reading over his shoulder. Her uniform had been modified to look more like a dress, she had blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and was held out of her eyes by a blue band, and she had blue eyes. In short, she was breathtakingly beautiful, although Simon would never admit something like that after their first meeting.

"What are you reading?" She asked, breaking the silence. Hearing the British accent, and sensing a little bit of posh in it, he decided to test out a theory that had just come to mind. "What's it to you?" He asked back. "What?! How dare you speak to me, Cecilia Alcott, in such a tone! I was trying to be polite!" She burst out, slamming her hands onto his desk and leaning over him. Surprised that she had immediately gone down a hostile route, he decided to relent rather than start a fight. "It's a murder mystery from an Italian author, so I doubt you'd recognize it, or understand it."

"Wait, you speak Italian?" She asked, slightly taken back. "Naturalmente parlo italiano." He said, just to prove his point. "Italian, Russian, a bit of German and French as well." He continued, turning back to his book. Cecilia stood there a bit longer, reevaluating the boy sitting before her before quickly returning to her seat. _Well, at least he's cultured_ she thought as she sat down. After a few more students filed in, including Ichika, the woman Simon assumed was their teacher came in. She was a little shorter than some of the other staff, with green hair and clothes that seemed a bit small. He would have assumed it was on purpose to highlight her body's shape, since she was definitely large in a few places, if it wasn't for the fact that this was an all-girls school and she seemed nervous as hell. After a quick introduction another woman walked in. Taller, sterner and definitely the one in charge, she introduced herself as Chifuyu Orimura, which caused Simon to glance quickly at Ichika. _His sister is the teacher. This is going to be interesting to watch_ he thought.

"Alright, time you introduced yourselves. We'll go alphabetically." She said, and started reading off the names. When she came to Cecilia, she stood up and announced proudly, "I am Cecilia Alcott, Britain's Representative Candidate and heir to the Alcott household." When it came time for Simon's turn, he stood up reluctantly and stated simply, "Simon Felix. Pilot. American." And sat back down. Turning her gaze to him, Chifuyu glared at him briefly and asked, "That's it?" After receiving a shrug as an answer, she continued with the introductions, pinning Ichika's head to the desk with her book after he had an outburst about his sister. He also noticed another girl in the room glaring at Ichika. Her long brown hair was done up in a pony tail, but still managed to reach her waist. She clearly had some kind of history with Ichika, considering the venom in that gaze.

Class continued till about noon when Chifuyu stopped to address everyone. "Now than, before we continue we are going to need to pick a class representative. Are there any volunteers or nominations?" "I nominate Ichika-kun." One girls said without missing a beat. _Great_ , Simon thought, _not me._ Another girl raised her hand about a second later and said, "I nominate Simon-kun." _Damnit._ At this, another girl two seats behind Simon shot up and slammed her hands on the desk. _And that's got to be Cecilia_ Simon thought as she shot off on her rant. "What?! You would have a boy represent this class? I won't allow this! I, Cecilia Alcott, will not accept a male as my representative! It's bad enough I had to come to this speck of a country." This caused Ichika to stand up, turn to her and exclaim, "England's not any bigger than Japan, and we didn't get the award for world's worst cuisine."

"You dare mock my home? I will not let this stand! I challenge you to a duel!" She shot back. _God, I just want this day to end_ Simon thought as he let his head hit the desk. Without turning a hair, Chifuyu raised her hand. "It looks like we have a three-way duel for the position. If there are no objections, it will be held today at 6. You're dismissed for lunch." And with that, she turned and left with the green haired girl, _her name's Maya Yamada, gotta remember that_ , in tow, leaving the classroom to glance between the three members. Sighing, again, at his rotten luck, Simon collected his stuff and left without a word. _So much for not picking any fights on my first day._

The lunch room wasn't much better, although it would be more accurate to call it a dinning hall. He kept getting glares from Cecilia, who had clearly made up her mind to despise him with every fiber of her being. The other girls kept glancing at him, to, although a number of them could have been called leers. _So this is what it's like on the receiving end_ he thought as he grabbed his food and sat down at one of the far booths. Ichika joined him not to much latter, looking a little down and a bit stressed. "So, what's up with pony tail?" Simon asked, breaking the silence. "Who, Houki? She and I are childhood friends, although I think she's holding something against me." He replied, not looking up. Pushing his food aside, Simon leaned back and focused on him. "What makes you say that?"

"She wasn't very talkative when I stopped her after class, and she almost took a swing at me, though I can't imagine what it was for." Ichika continued before taking a bite from his sandwich. "She almost hit you? I assume it wouldn't have been just a slap to the face." Simon said, genuinely taken back. "No, she's a Kendo student. If she decides to hit me, it won't be pleasant." Ichika told him. "I wish I knew what it was. I didn't like being on the receiving end of her hits when we spared as children, and I really don't want to be now." Thinking it over for a while, Simon stated very simply, "I have no clue. Want me to talk to her?"

At this, Ichika looked up with an almost pleading look in his eyes. "Would you? Just, be careful, I think she might be on a short fuse." He warned. "I may not know much about Kendo, but I've had my own training. I doubt it will be a problem." Simon responded. _No, I doubt I'll have much trouble with one girl at all_ he thought as he picked his try up and left the dinning hall.

 **Alright, first chapter is done. While I wish I could give a concrete schedule for releases, I will be heading back to college in about a week, so I can only promise to work and post when I will have the time. I do hope to get the first few chapters out there before I leave. And to nip this topic in the bud, as far as pairings go I haven't quite decided yet. Oh, and as for Simon mentioning his luck with genetics, that's kind of a teaser as to why he can pilot an IS.**

 **Anyways, favorite and review as you see fit. Till next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2; The Grand Raven

After a brief class in which they didn't really learn anything new, the class was dismissed and began to head towards one of the stadiums. In the changing room, Ichika and Simon were both looking at the male version of IS pilot suits. To say they were mortified would have been an understatement.

"They can't honestly expect us to wear these things, can they?" Simon asked. Ichika just stared at his suit. It was a two piece which consisted of a short sleeved top that stopped just above their stomach, pants that stopped at the knees, and a pair of shoes. All of this was compounded by the fact that it was skin tight. "I think they do." said Ichika with a groan as he began to pull his shirt off. _Well, this is going to give them_ plenty _to think about later tonight_ thought Simon. 10 minutes later, they were in separate launch bays receiving their IS and making some final checks. Simon ended up being the last one out since he had to fiddle with his helmet a bit to make sure it sat right. _Note to self; check the damned port alignment when this fight is over_ he thought as he took position on the catapult.

About three seconds later, he was hurled into the arena and took his position opposite the other two. Looking to his right, he saw that Ichika's IS was still in its basic mode, all grey metal and fairly small, and only equipped with a simple sword. Looking to his left, he saw Cecilia's IS was a bit more substantial. Blue and white, it was holding a fairly large sniper rifle and had some rather large wings. While the rifle was the only obvious weapon, Simon made note to be cautious around her, since there was no way it could be her only weapons. His IS must have been a sight in itself, since both of them took a while to size him up. Green and blue, he had a sword sheathed down the right side of his back, parallel with his spine, a large shield on his left arm and what looked to be a smaller shield on his right. His wings weren't as impressive, looking more like bird wings folded in. He also had a helmet on that started at a point over his nose and then sloped back and down to connect with a collar around his neck just behind his jaw. It also flowed back into a point, giving it an aerodynamic look. The four spines on his hip armor, two to a side, must have made them think he favored close combat and that they were other swords. _Let's see which of them realizes the mistake with that assumption first_ he thought as he adjusted his helmet again.

"Well, I'll give you both credit for not running away. If you surrender now and admit I'm superior, I'll let you both off easy." Cecilia boasted from her position. Shooting her a look, Simon let his arm fall and replied simply, "Stuff it." This earned a rather shocked look, followed by another outburst. "H-How dare you! I will make you suffer for that!"

Before any more insults and/or threats could be thrown, the intercom came to life with Chifuyu's voice. "The match will now begin. Your time limit is 30 minutes." At this, Cecilia raised her rifle right as Ichika took off at her brandishing his sword. Smiling sweetly at him, she aimed and fired a bolt right into his face before he could dodge, sending him into the ground. Turning towards Simon, she saw he had made no attempts to move and fired again. That shot was deflected easily by his shield. "If that's all you can manage, girly, this is going to be a short fight." He taunted as he began to advance. "You will regret that! No one insults Blue Tears and gets away with it!" She shouted as she let loose with her rifle. Dodging some and deflecting others, Simon closed to a few meters of Cecilia before four bits detached from her wings and flew at him. _Oh, crap_ he thought as he brought his shield up late. The bits quickly encircled him and got in a few good hits, dropping his shields by 20% before he managed to dodge away. The bits returned to Cecilia's wings and Simon got a good look at her face, beaming with triumph.

"I hope you don't mind my laser bits, little boy." She taunted as she started firing at him again. For some reason, Ichika was nowhere to be seen as Simon began to dodge her bolts again. That is, until Ichika suddenly appeared behind her and took another swing, this time landing a solid blow on her back and propelling her forward. "You dare!" She shouted as she turned, the armor on her thighs shifting and revealing a pair of cannon barrels. They sent a pair of rockets straight into the poor boy's chest, sending him back for a second meeting with the ground. Taking advantage of the lapse in concentration, Simon moved in again. When Cecilia noticed this, she sent her laser bits off to slow him down as she took aim with her rifle.

"Not gonna happen! Fangs, fly!" Simon shouted, causing the four spines on his hips to detach, grow energy blades and rush to meet Cecilia's laser bits. This was enough to stun her as the bits clashed between the two pilots. Lasers flashed and the fang bits came close a few times before one of her bits was finally sliced to pieces. The other three quickly returned to her IS as Simon's bits returned to his. "Y-You use bits? How?!" She demanded. Smiling evilly, Simon pointed at her with his shield and stated simply, "I think it's time to wrap up this fight." Sending a pair of missiles sailing from the launchers hidden on the underside of his shield, he flew straight at her.

"You think I'll fall for that?!" She demanded as she took aim at him, ignoring the two missiles. Which made sense, they were too small to do any significant damage to her IS, and Simon was clearly a more urgent threat. However, this was also a massive mistake. When the missiles closed to within a meter, they fragmented and detonated, releasing a massive smoke cloud around her, blocking her view and disorienting her. "What is th-" was all she managed before Simon's shield connected with her stomach, dropping her shields by about half thanks to his momentum, and sending her flying out of the cloud. Breathing heavily, she glared at the cloud and sent energy bolts into it as fast as her rifle could cycle. Seconds later, Simon's fangs appeared again, one above, one below and one to the right and left of Cecilia. They closed with her faster than she could deploy her own bits and quickly started to take bites out of her shields.

Once they had reduced her shields to about 2%, they stopped their assault and withdrew. Relieved at no longer being battered around by the little pests, she looked up in time to see Simon in front of her, spinning around and landing a kick straight into her stomach, effectively reducing her shields to zero and sending her on a collision course with the stadium wall. Looking ahead of her and seeing the wall closing, she closed her eyes and prepared for the pain of impact, her teeth gritted in anticipation. A second later she did hit something, but it wasn't as hard. It was also warm, and it had wrapped itself under her arms to support her weight. Opening her eyes, she saw Simon's face above her as he lowered her to the ground. The look in his eyes wasn't contempt or hate. Those she would have understood after what had been said. It looked more like pity, and a bit of kindness.

"Are you alright?" He asked as they landed. "I'm f-fine." she said, feeling a bit of heat coming up her neck and to her cheeks. Turning around, he saw Ichika waiting for them, his IS radically different. The dull grey was replaced with pure white and gold trim. His sword had also folded in half, revealing an energy blade. "Are you two done? I was hoping to fight you, Simon." he said as he brought his sword up, ready to charge. Letting out an explosive sigh, Simon squared up with Ichika and said, "There's no point in trying."

At this, Ichika charged, letting out a battle cry. Without moving a muscle, Simon stood there, waiting for Ichika's attack. "Again, there's no point in trying, cause I surrender." He stated matter-of-factly, sending the bluenette stumbling as he tried to slow down, his stance totally thrown off. "Y-you what?" Cecilia stammered from behind him as he let his IS destruct in a flash of light, dropping him to the ground. Turning around to face her, he said simply ,"I surrender. I never said I wanted to be the class rep." "Then why did you accept the challenge?!" she demanded. "Because no true warrior turns down a challenge. That's like spitting on them." he said, shrugging as he walked off to the changing room. "Well, Ichika, looks like you got the position." Leaving the two former opponents gawking at his retreating figure, Simon returned to the changing room and made a bee-line for the showers. After drying off and putting his pants back on, he saw Ichika come into the locker room.

"Hope you're not too pissed with me just dropping that into your lap. I just don't take being the leader well." Simon said as he pulled his shirt on. "It's alright, I just wasn't expecting you to do it. Apparently, neither was Cecilia. She glared at you till you were out of sight, with a red face and everything. She either likes you or is planning to murder you in your sleep." Thinking on that, he did notice a little color on her cheeks when he was lowering her to the ground. _Nah, that was probably embarrassment at being carried like that_ he thought. "Well, either way, at least she's not the rep. Honestly, that was the only reason I took the challenge at all."

"You fixed the match?" Ichika asked as he put his jacket on. "No, I just knew who I didn't want to win. If she ended up taking you out before I could take her out, I probably would have accepted the role." Simon replied as he closed his locker. "Come on, I think they're serving turkey tonight." "Hold up, I'm right behind you!" Ichika shouted as he slammed his locker closed and rushed after Simon. "So, what kind of IS was that you used, anyway?" Thinking about it for a bit, Simon wasn't quite sure how much he could tell him. While he was sure they were becoming friends, there were still certain aspects of his IS design that was personal. Finally, he settled on just covering the generals, since it was clear from class that Ichika barely grasped the simple concepts behind the IS.

"I call it the Grand Raven. It's a custom build based on the Rafale Revive, although I ended up doing so much work on it that you wouldn't be able to tell." "Wait, you built your own IS?" Ichika interrupted, looking absolutely stunned. Undaunted, since this was a conversation he had had before, he continued, "Yeah. Once you understand the engineering behind it, building one isn't that hard. The tricky part is configuring the control systems so you can select the proper weapons in combat. That, and balancing the power distribution. I must have spent a week working on that part of Raven alone before I was satisfied." They continued on to the cafeteria, Simon explaining some of the finer parts of his IS to Ichika.

* * *

The next day during lunch, they were both ambushed by their classmates who had set up a party for Ichika. With Houki glaring at them the whole time, both boys were subject to a number of questions by a girl from the Academy newspaper club. They were also unable to escape due to the fact that they were surrounded by the entire class, and maybe one or two more. It was really quite innocent until they started talking about the end of the fight.

"So, Simon, You clearly had an advantage there at the end. What made you decide to throw the match?" the 'reporter' asked. Scratching the back of his head, he replied, "Well, I didn't really want the position in the first place. Although, I couldn't turn down a challenge, so I had no choice in participating." "And what made you target Cecilia? You clearly didn't try to fight Ichika." She continued. At this, several of the other girls got a more intense look in their eyes. Sensing he was on dangerous ground, he thought very carefully before answering. "Her IS was designed for long-range combat. Mine and Ichika's aren't, so if we fought it would end up weakening us both so she could pick us off at range." Technically not a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"We also saw you employ the same kinds of remote weapons. Is there any relation there?" she asked, triggering that intense look again. _Damn, is that supposed to be a loaded question?_ "Well.." he began, before realizing the subtext in that question. _They want to know if we have a relationship? Great, it's not even the end of my first_ _ **week**_ _and I'm already caught in the web_ he thought. Deciding to play dumb, and hoping Ichika wouldn't speak up and call him on it, he answered, "I didn't really design that particular system myself, so I can't really tell you if it's the same or not." This seemed to be what they were looking for, because several of them started to look relieved. "Okay. So, Ichika, how does it…." The questions now aimed away from him, Simon quickly slipped away from the group and sat in a booth by himself, sighing as he heard a slight uproar coming from the group of girls. Hearing someone sit down in the seat across from him, he opened his eyes to see the pony tail girl, Houki, sitting across from him and looking deadly serious.

"So, why did you throw the match, really?" She asked, although the tone of voice implied it was more of a demand. _Why can't I have a moment to myself_ he wondered. "What, did I upset you sensibilities as a samurai by handing the win away?" Simon asked, and noticed how her face got visibly darker at that. "I just don't like have positions of authority shoved onto me, okay? And after the way she acted the other day, I'm not sure I would want Cecilia as class rep. That left Ichika by default." "So, why accept the challenge if you intended to lose?" She continued, undaunted by his answer. Sitting up straight and looking her square in the eye, Simon answered, "I may not be a student of Kendo like you, but I do understand the notion of honor." _Ouch, that was a low blow, even for me_ he thought as he watched her twitch at that. With a "humph" she got up and stalked away, leaving Simon a little concerned that he had just picked a fight with another classmate. _Damnit, I need to rein in my temper a bit more next time._ Sighing again, he got up and left right as they were starting to take pictures. For some reason, several girls wanted to have their picture taken with Ichika, and Simon was **not** going to get sucked into such an obvious ploy.

As he left the building and walked back to the classroom, he heard someone come up behind him. Turning his head slightly, he saw it was Cecilia. "I don't believe you when you said you don't know a thing about your bit weapons." She said as she drew level with him. "Well, maybe I know a little. Why, you looking for someone to work on yours?" Simon asked as he kept walking. "Actually, I was thinking that we could train together, since it is a fairly difficult system to use, especially in a fight." She said as she leaned in a bit closer. Taking note of how she was trying to lean in to him, he continued walking and said, "A national representative wants to train with me? I thought you didn't like me. In fact, I was pretty sure that the way I laid you out the other day would earn your ever-lasting fury." Unnoticed by Simon, Cecilia had grown a bit red at his phrasing. "I don't hate you. Actually, I think we could learn a lot from each other, since our IS have such different abilities."

"I'll think about it." Simon said as he walked into the classroom. Again, he didn't notice the red on Cecilia's face, or the look of triumph she had as she walked in behind him, although several of the other girls in class noticed and quickly started up the gossip.

 **And there ends another chapter. Didn't honestly expect to finish one in a day, but I did say I was going to try and do what I can while I still have a good amount of time. For those of you that are paying close attention, I did add in another teaser to the nature of Simon's IS, the Grand Raven. There is more to come since he didn't really use most of what he has on it. Is there a bit of romance in there? Could be. :)**

 **Feel free to shoot a review and/or follow if you enjoy this. Hope to have a new chapter out sometime between today and Saturday.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3; The Raven's Fury

A week went by. In that time, Cecilia and Houki began to hang out with Ichika and Simon a lot more, and it became clear, to Simon at least, that both girls had some kind of affection for the two of them. Although, Ichika was still somehow oblivious to Houki's attempts to get his attention. Simon had also begun to spar with Cecilia in order for them to improve their control over their respective bits, and Houki had begun bringing Ichika along and whipping him back into shape with continuous sword training. After one particularly long session, where Simon and Cecilia had nearly exhausted their bits (the things can only store so much power), they both turned to see Ichika sparring with Houki, who was using a training IS, and noticed he was on the verge of collapse.

"Isn't she pushing him a little hard?" Cecilia asked as she landed on the arena floor. "Actually, I think she's still punishing him." Simon said as he watched the two begin to exchange blows again, although Ichika could barely block them, to say nothing of attacking himself. At this, Cecilia turned to Simon, clearly puzzled. "Punishing him for what? I know he can be dense, but what has the fool done to deserve this?" "Well," Simon began, feeling a bit nervous. This felt too much like ratting the kid out, but Simon had grown to like Cecilia through these training sessions. She clearly wasn't just some stuck-up rich girl as he had first suspected. "They were close friends as children. They went to the same Kendo school, and apparently he protected her from other kids when she was picked on. Clearly, she never forgot any of it, and I'm pretty sure those feelings matured with her." "You mean.." Cecilia began, before her face shifted to a bright red as she thought about that for a moment. "You mean…her and Ichika..?"

Turning to her, he smiled at the change in her demeanor. "What, you jealous?" He teased. "O-Of course not. Are you suggesting that I-" She caught herself before she blundered into admitting her feelings out load, since the boy standing in front of her would probably tease her about it mercilessly for weeks. Instead, she turned back and watched the two swordsman spar. Shaking his head, Simon did the same. After trading another series of blows, Ichika destructed his IS and collapsed on his back, panting. The others followed suit and gathered around the exhausted pilot. "So, she's riding you pretty hard, huh?" Simon asked with a slight grin on his face. Even though he wasn't looking at her, he could practically feel the glare and blush on Houki. Offering his hand to Ichika, he hauled him to his feet and helped him hobble towards the locker room. Arriving at their lockers, Ichika dropped onto one of the benches as Simon went over to the showers with his clothes. When he returned, Ichika was laid out on the bench, asleep. Giving his foot a good kick to wake him up, Simon said, "Hey, you can sleep later. We got homework to finish." This earned a groan as Ichika rolled off the bench and stumbled towards the showers himself.

Deciding it would better to give him some time to gather himself, Simon went outside and waited with the girls. Sitting at one of the benches outside, Simon turned to Houki, deciding now was a good time to address this issue now that Ichika wasn't there. "So, made any real progress? Or is our friend still clueless?" he asked. At this, she stiffened and looked away, a slight blush dusting her cheeks. "I don't know what you mean, Simon." Glancing at Cecilia to see her smiling, he decided to push the issue. "I mean, have you actually gotten through to our bluenette about how you feel, or is he still seeing you as a friend? And don't try to lie, cause I've seen the looks you've given him behind his back." While that was a lie, he doubted he was too far off from the truth. And judging from the hunch in her shoulders and the fact that she was nervously playing with her skirt as a distraction, he clearly had hit the mark.

"H-he hasn't changed much from when I knew him." She began, clearly embarrassed to be discussing this with the two of them. "He clearly doesn't see me as a woman. I'm still just his 'childhood friend.'" They both looked at each other, shocked that Houki would open up like that, and with something that personal. Cecilia just walked over to her and placed her hand on Houki's shoulder for comfort. Simon, meanwhile, was pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed closed and trying desperately to keep his own temper in check. How that guy could be so damned oblivious was beyond him. _But I'll be damned if I let one of my friends suffer like this_ he thought. As Ichika walked up and they made their way back to the dorms, Simon decided that he was going to start working on this from his end and give the bone-head some gentle nudges to get him started in the right direction. _Then again, considering how he can be, I might need a cattle prod to make this work_ he realized as they parted at the elevator.

When Ichika and Simon arrived at their room, there was a small girl waiting outside their door for them. Her brown hair was done up in twin pony tails and her uniform had been modified so the shoulders were missing. Hearing the two of them approach, she turned and pointed at Ichika. "So, this is where you've been hiding, Ichika!" "Rin! I didn't know you were at the Academy, too." Ichika said, walking up to the girl. As Simon came up behind him, she noticed him for the first time. "So, who's the other guy?" _Rude little twerp_ he thought, although he was careful not to say it out load. Simon had heard plenty of horror stories about tsunderes, and if she wasn't one, then he would eat his shoe. "This is Simon, an IS pilot from America. Simon, this is another old friend of mine, Lingyin Huang." "Wait, you called her Rin, didn't you?" Simon asked. This received a swift kick to his shin, which caused him to jump back.

"Ow! What the heck did I do!?" He demanded. Glaring at him, she crossed her arms and shot back, "You don't get to call be Rin when we've only just met, idiot." "You're just gonna start throwing insults after just meeting someone?" Simon exclaimed, feeling his own temper starting to rise to the surface. "Ha! I know how you Americans are. Don't think that just because you're an IS pilot that your special, little boy." _That's it_ he thought. Preparing himself for another blow, he shot back, "Well, I don't go around insulting people I just met, small fry. So how about trying this again?" **That** clearly hit a nerve, because right after the words left his mouth, the girl launched another blow at him. This one was augmented by the right arm of an IS materializing around her own arm. Simon ducked to his left, barely avoiding the punch. What he didn't dodge was the follow-up kick to his stomach. Staggering back a couple steps, he readied himself for the next attack while Lingyin (Rin?) glared at him and clenched her first again, clearly pissed that the 'little boy' was still standing. Thankfully, he was saved when Ichika stepped between them.

"Hey! You two can't fight here, someone might get hurt!" He said, all stern seriousness. "Yeah, and it's gonna be that idiot next to you." Rin promised as she squared up with him again. "I wouldn't be too sure, pipsqueak." Simon shot back as he turned to have his left side face her, bringing his hands up with fists clenched. The probable destruction of the entire floor was averted when a textbook smacked into Rin's head, a textbook held by none other than Chifuyu herself. "Causing trouble again, Miss Huang?" She asked, her stern expression daring the girl to try something. "N-no, I was just saying hi to Ichika. I'll be leaving now, mam." She said quickly before shooting off. That matter taken care of, Chifuyu turned her gaze onto Ichika and Simon. "And just what are you two doing?" "Nothing, mam!" They both said before escaping into their room. Both boys had learned by the second day to NOT piss Chifuyu off.

* * *

The next day, they learned that an inter-class tournament was being held that weekend, and that as the class rep, Ichika would be taking part. _Huh_ Simon thought, _I wondered how long it would take for the class rep thing to bite him in the ass._ After being dismissed for lunch, they noticed a board in the hallway announcing the matches. Stopping to find Ichika's name, Simon suddenly started laughing to himself. "What's so funny?" Cecilia asked as she walked up to see what he was looking at. Unable to speak, he just pointed at the first match. "Who's 'Lingyin Huang?'" "Wait, what?!" Ichika shouted as he rushed over to the board. Looking at the pairings quickly, he then smacked his head into the wall, looking absolutely miserable. Houki, meanwhile, was standing behind them, completely lost. "What is it?" She finally asked.

After catching his breath, Simon turned around and told her. "The bone-head's first match is with little Rin. He gets to fight his old friend right off the bat!" Turning to Ichika, who still looked depressed at the notion of fighting an old friend, he patted him on the back. "Hey, cheer up, man. The squirt probably won't be able to put up much of a fight, class rep or not." That statement was punctuated by a pen case flying out of nowhere and smacking Simon in the head, sending him stumbling back a few steps. "Ow! The fuck did this come from?" He asked, holding the case up. "Stop calling me small, idiot!" He heard right before he was forced to dodge a flying kick to the head. _Okay, that is definitely Rin._

Looking at the fuming girl, he wondered just how she had made it into the academy in the first place. Her temper was shorter than his. Once again, any destruction that would have been caused by these two fighting was interrupted by Ichika. "So, it looks like I'm fighting you first, Rin." Ichika said, moving in between them to stop her charging again. "So, are you using one of the academy's or do you have your own IS?" With a huff she turned to Ichika, deciding the American idiot wasn't worth the effort quite yet. "Yes, I have my own. I couldn't be China's Representative if I didn't." "Wait," Simon interrupted, walking up behind Ichika, "You're a national representative?" She nodded, wondering why it would seem so hard to believe. Simon just face-palmed and turned away, mumbling something about how unbelievable this was. At this point, it seemed Houki had just realized something. "Wait, Ichika?" She started, walking over with her hands on her hips, "How do you know this girl?"

Turning to her with a sheepish look, he introduced the two while Cecilia stayed back, wary of the Chinese firecracker in front of her. The introductions quickly turned into a heated debate between the two girls as they both tried to prove they were closer to Ichika than the other, while Ichika slowly backed away, not really following the conversation. He was saved when Simon grabbed him and steered him and Cecilia away from the bickering girls saying, "We should probably let them works this out without us around. Also, lunch isn't going to wait for them." They both nodded and made for the exit. Once they had grabbed their food and sat down, Houki and Rin came storming into the cafeteria, both of them looking a little annoyed at being left behind. Once they found were the others were sitting, their glares landed not on Ichika, as one would expect, but on Simon. _Okay, I might be a dead man_ he thought as Rin stalked up to the table. Houki had long ago accepted that Simon could be sneaky and that Ichika was willing to go along with said sneakiness. She just went to grab food while Rin stood in front of the table, trying to look intimidating.

"And just what exactly do you think you're doing?" She demanded, slamming her hands on the table and glaring daggers straight at Simon. "Uh, I'm eating. This is our lunch hour." He responded, taking a bite from his sandwich and looking to the others for support. And of course, they all looked away. "That's not what I meant, idiot!" She yelled, leaning closer, "Try something like that again, and I will make sure you suffer." _Is that a threat?_ he thought before continuing in the hopes of avoiding a pointless feud. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that? Try and keep in mind that if you fight me before the tournament, you will be showing everyone what you're capable of." He explained, hopping reason would help end this peacefully. Hearing this, Rin stood up and bit her lip, clearly torn between putting the American in his place and losing a major advantage. By this point, Houki had joined them at the table, although she was making a point to not look at Simon. "Fine, you got out of this one. But piss me off again, and I will put you in your place, idiot." Rin said as she stalked away.

"I really wish she would stop calling me idiot." He said, turning back to the others, who were all laughing to themselves. "What? You think this is funny? That pipsqueak kicks hard!" He exclaimed, sending Ichika and the girls into more laughter.

* * *

The week passed quickly, with several more 'incidences' between Rin and Simon. Any hope he had of not having to fight her after the tournament had been crushed in that time, as well as a table and a door. As Saturday rolled around, Ichika and Simon were in the locker room, preparing Ichika for his fight with Rin. Ichika looked a little excited to be fighting her, but also a little depressed. "Come on, man, it's just a friendly competition. She's not going to hate you forever once you beat her." Simon said for what felt like the hundredth time. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm more concerned with how much frustration she's going to take out on me," Ichika replied, "I mean, it's almost like you two are at war." Patting him on the back, Simon just smiled and walked to the exit. "Just remember, Ichika, the honor of classroom 1-1 is riding on this." He said as motivation. After joining Cecilia and Houki in the front row seats they had staked out, Simon noticed a worried look on Houki's face.

"Worried about your man?" Simon asked, ignoring the indignant glare she gave him. Although she didn't respond, neither Simon nor Cecilia expected her to. Rin was the first to enter the stadium. Her IS was a dark red and black color, and was less flashy than Cecilia's and Ichika's, clearly going for efficiency rather than looks. Her 'wings' were more two balls with stubby spines on the bottom, and she also carried a rather large sword, a scimitar. _There's no way a Representative is going to go all melee_ Simon thought as Ichika flew into the arena. After a quick exchange, in which Rin promised to punish Ichika for not keeping Simon in check, the match began and the two pilots immediately rushed at each other, trading blows with their respective swords. Ichika's training with Houki seemed to be paying off as he slowly drove back Rin. That is, until in a flash of light there was a second scimitar in her left hand. With two swords, she began to attack faster, driving Ichika onto the defensive. After a particularly nasty blow that he couldn't block, he decided to try and get some distance to think over a new plan.

"Big mistake, Ichika!" Rin shouted as one of her wings flashed briefly. Next thing they know, Ichika was spiraling into the wall like he'd just been shot. "What the heck just hit him?!" Houki demanded, looking just as shocked as the other two. "No way, she uses Shock cannons?" Simon asked, unable to believe she would use such a weapon on a melee IS. "She's using what?" demanded Houki, turning to him. "They're called Shock cannons. Basically, it's a gun that compresses the air into slugs before firing them. It's a line-of-sight weapon with a short effective range, but the barrel is made out of the air, so dodging it is pretty much impossible at close range." He told her, watching the battle closely as Rin cut loose with both cannons, digging several craters in the ground and causing the shields protecting the stadium seats to flare. She managed to get a few good hits in, but Ichika was staying just outside of their effective range. "Well, at least he's keeping his distance." Houki said, trying to find some small hope.

"It won't help him," Cecilia said, "He doesn't have any long-range weapons. Like this, Rin can just draw the battle out and whittle his shields down. And if he tries to get closer, if those cannons don't do him in, then Rin's swords will." Simon just nodded in agreement, unable to come up with any way of winning. "B-but, he still has his one-off ability!" Houki said, clutching her hands together. "True, but that also drains his shields to power it. Unless that bone-head does something to turn the tide soon, this fight is over." Simon said. While this just received a glare from Houki, he wasn't prepared to lie to her just to make a bad situation seem better. Ichika did try something, though, triggering his Ignition Burst and closing on Rin before she could adjust her fire. Locking swords again, it seemed to be a stand-off, with neither side showing any signs of breaking away.

Just as the battle was about to kick off again, something came crashing into the stadium, breaking through the barrier and slamming right into the middle of the arena. "What the he-?" Simon began, sitting up, but was cut off when alarms started to blare and the emergency shutters over the seats slammed down. Looking around in confusion, they heard a message over the load speakers for all students to evacuate the area immediately. "But, Ichika is in there!" Houki said, walking up to the metal wall. Feeling absolutely helpless, Simon grabbed her arm and dragged her to the nearest exit while Cecilia followed. "You two, find Chifuyu in the control room and figure out what's going on." He said, before rushing back out into the stands. "What?! What about you? Simon!" yelled Cecilia, but he was too far to turn back. _Damnit, what the hell is going on? What could have the force to break through that shield?_ He wondered as he stopped in front of one of the shutters and summoned his IS. Grasping the handle of his sword, he disengaged the magnetic clamp holding it, powered the blade up and made three quick slashes through the barrier in a rough triangle. As the metal fell away, a video transmission came in from the command room. "Felix, what the hell are you doing?" Chifuyu yelled, looking very pissed off at his actions. Trying to maintain his determination, he looked her square in the eye and said, "Helping a friend." Before closing the connection and rocketing into the arena. What he saw was surprising to say the least.

It looked like an IS, but it looked more like some kind of grotesque ogre; it had no wings, six (eight?) eyes and massive forearms. Said massive arms were busy sending Ichika flying into the far wall as Rin came up behind it, prepared to slash into its back. One of the eyes on the back of its head swiveled to focus on her before its left arm swung out, backhanding her into the ground. As she struggled to get back up, it loomed over her with its hands clasped above its head. Before the unknown IS could pummel her into mush, a blue-green projectile smashed into it from the side, taking it across the stadium grounds. Looking over to where the Ogre landed, she saw Simon's IS hovering between it and her. A communication window popping up suddenly startled her back into reality, even though the voice on the other end still pissed her off. "You two still breathing over there?" Simon asked, raising his shield in a defensive stance should the Ogre try anything. "I'm doing alright, but my shields are at 23%." Ichika said, landing next to Rin and looking a little out of breathe. "I-I'm fine, too. And who asked you to interfere, idiot?" She stammered, finally getting back on her feet. "Because I'm totally going to let some freak-show of an IS beat you into a pulp." Simon said, causing Rin to blush slightly. _Didn't think he really cared_ she thought. "Besides, if anyone's going to put you in your place, it's going to be me." He continued. _And there's the annoying attitude_ she amended as she felt her temper flare again.

The Ogre, meanwhile, had righted itself and was looking at Simon, its many eyes expanding and contracting like it was scanning him. Turning his attention to the over-sized IS, Simon said, "Well, you going to stand there all day, or are we gonna do this? Come on, ugly, let's go!" He suddenly charged at the IS, using his own Ignition Burst and taking a swipe at its left arm as the Ogre brought it up to ward him off. Simon's blade struck the arm just above the wrist, biting into the metal and making a sizable slash through it. He was momentarily stunned by this, so much so he didn't see its right fist until it had connected with his unprotected side, throwing him into a spin. As Simon righted himself, he saw the Ogre raising its right arm with its hand wide open, revealing a gun barrel in its palm. Letting lose with a particle beam, it tried to shoot him down, only to have Simon dodge the blast before landing next to the other two IS pilots, who had still not gotten over the fact he had damaged that thing. "So," Simon began, trying to keep his voice from shaking, "Anyone have any clue why that thing didn't have a shield? I thought it was an IS?" "So did I." Ichika said, clearly trying to work out what he had just seen. Any further guesses were cut off when Chifuyu opened a com link to all three of them.

"Obviously, that thing doesn't have a pilot." She stated matter-of-factly. "Wait, IS always have pilots. So, how is that thing unmanned?" Rin said. "The only conclusion we can come to is that it's some kind of drone weapon. We're trying to see if we can trace its origin now. The three of you need to get out of there, the staff with subdue it." Chifuyu said, all calm seriousness. "Okay, then where are the teachers?" Simon asked, motioning to the still empty field. "There's a problem with the automatic lock-down. All the shutters are still closed, and we can't yet open them." Maya told them from off screen. Looking over at Ichika and Rin, they briefly shared a moment of telepathy and reached a shared agreement. Turning back to the screen in front of him, Simon said, "Then we're staying to buy them some time." "What? I said get out of th-" Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as the three cut the transmission. In the control room, Chifuyu slammed her fist into the console in frustration. _Those idiots had better live through this_ she thought as she turned to Maya, hoping her assistant could regain control of the system.

In the stadium, the three IS pilots had once again squared up against the Ogre. As they prepared to charge it, they heard a burst of static from it before a computer voice spoke to them. "Ci vediamo dall'altra parte." While Ichika and Rin didn't have a clue what it was saying, Simon's hands immediately went limp, his arms dropping to his sides. Turning to him, they saw the look of absolute shock on his face. "H-how do you know that?" He asked, and received a blow to the stomach as the Ogre suddenly accelerated into him, carrying him away from the other two pilots. "Simon!" Ichika yelled as he flew after them, only to be forced back as the Ogre turned it's particle cannon on him, firing shot after shot towards him and Rin. Struggling back onto his feet, Simon felt something well up inside him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Taking a few seconds to decide on his course of action, he called up Ichika and Rin.

"You two, leave this thing to me." He said as he replaced his sword in it's sheath down his back. "You gotta be kidding. Even you aren't that stupid!" Rin said as she dodged another beam. "I mean it," Simon continued, "I don't want either of you caught up in this attack." The seriousness in his voice was enough to convince Ichika as he backed away. Rin just gritted her teeth and held her position above it, though she didn't advance. In the control room, Chifuyu, May, Cecilia and Houki watched on the main monitor as Simon faced off with the Ogre alone. Turning his attention fully to it, Simon decided _ah, the hell with it, time to cut loose._ "I don't know what you are, or who built you, but you just crossed a line you really shouldn't have, ugly." Widening his stance, he unfolded his wings, revealing golden feather with black trim.

"Now, you die by inches." He said, the look in his eyes enough to make Ichika and Rin stay well back. Gesturing at the Ogre, he commanded, "Fangs, fly!" The four fangs on his hips detached and took off towards the Ogre, as did six of his feathers, three from each wing. In total, there were now ten fangs sporting energy blades circling around the Ogre, slowly tearing pieces out of it. During this, Simon just stood there, watching as his opponent was taken apart, looking pissed off to high hell. Pieces of its armor and systems just rained onto the ground around it as the fangs avoided hitting anything vital. Then, two fangs converged from opposite directions, severing its left arm at the shoulder, while a third slashed through it's right knee, causing it to fall to the ground. Even then, Simon's fangs continued their onslaught, tearing armor away from it's back and slashing through the eyes of the back of its head. Finally, as if he had grown bored with it, he waved his hand and sent three fangs into its neck, severing the things head and effectively killing it.

With another gesture, the fangs returned to Simon's IS and docked again. Without a word to anyone, and blocking all incoming calls, Simon turned and walked towards the now opening shutters, destructing his IS. Rin and Ichika just looked at each other, clearly troubled at the way he had lost control over a simple phrase, even though they had no clue what it meant. Houki and Cecilia were also very disturbed by the look they had gotten at their friend's darker side. Although she probably wouldn't admit it, Cecilia was more worried than most of them. _What could have cause that behavior in my Simon?_ She wondered as she walked out of the control room.

 **And there's another chapter down. Tried to make this one longer and include more material. So, anyone else shiver at the darker side of our OC? Just a taste of what's lurking under the surface for Simon. I promise to reveal more in later chapters, but don't expect it all on a silver platter.**

 **As always, feel free to review and follow if you enjoy this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4; The New Blonde

Sunday rolled around, and everyone was still nervous about approaching Simon about what had happened on Friday. Ichika more than the others was feeling the awkwardness since they shared a room, but he made it a point to avoid discussing it. Rin had begun to hang out with them, and that did prove to be a kind of distraction, but the arguments between her and Simon were half-hearted at best. Houki was at a loss at how to approach Simon and keep Rin from gaining any more of an advantage over her with Ichika. Cecilia also tried to cheer everyone up, going so far as to make lunch for everyone the other day. To say her cooking needed improvement would be putting it mildly. Chifuyu had questioned Simon briefly on what had happened, but he only dodged the questions and gave half-answers. Finally, she had released him, realizing he wasn't going to tell her anything meaningful. Whatever was eating at the blonde, he would have to work it out himself.

Around noon, Simon grabbed a bag from under his bed and left the room, telling Ichika he was going to go work off some stress. Waiting for him to get a bit of a head start, Ichika then got up and followed him out. Taking care to stay a ways back from him, Ichika followed Simon all the way to stadium 3, where Simon then entered the arena's field. Setting down his bag, he opened it and took several things out of it. After putting something in his right ear, he took his shoes off and put some kind of boot on his feet before also putting on a pair of weird gloves. Speaking quickly into what must have been an earpiece, he brought up a series of targets around himself and took up what Ichika realized was his stance for hand-to-hand. At a command from the blonde, the targets began to orbit him at different speeds, some moving at the pace of a leisurely walk, others zipping by like bullets. He stood there motionless for a few seconds before lashing out with his hands, quickly hitting three targets that emitted a ***ding*** before disappearing. Continuing in this pattern, he took out another four targets before he started throwing kicks as well. From his movements, Ichika could see that he was seasoned in at least some form of martial arts. Each punch and kick flowed into each other almost effortlessly, and before Ichika knew it all the targets had been cleared. Leaning over with his hands on his knees, Simon was clearly winded from the exertion.

Deciding that hiding in the shadows was too sneaky, Ichika made to join him on the field, but someone else beat him to it. "I had no idea you practiced martial arts." Cecilia said, coming up behind him with a towel and water bottle. "You're just full of surprises." Smiling at her, he straightened up and turned to face her fully. "You know me, always prepared. So, come to enjoy the show, princess?" Catching the slight color that came to her cheeks, he tried not to smile. "I thought you might want some refreshment. There's no need to be vulgar. Peasant." The last part was mumbled like she expected him not to hear her. "Oh, I'm a peasant, am I? Well, maybe one day I can become a knight worthy of a princess, hmm?" He teased, taking off one of his gloves with his teeth and holding that hand up for the water. Deciding the conversation was going somewhere she would rather not have it go, at least not yet, she tossed the water to him. "So, what kind of gloves are those?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Deciding that the change of topic was in both of their interests, he looked down at his other hand and replied, "They're weighted training gloves, so are the boots. They help me keep my speed up where I need it to be." "How much do the weigh?" She asked, thinking _probably something light._ "About 12 kilograms, each." This earned him a rather hilarious look from Cecilia as her jaw dropped. He just cocked an eyebrow at her as way of questioning her. "H-how? How can you move like that with that kind of weight? And why? You're IS doesn't have any weapons that would require this kind of training." Laughing to himself, he took another shot from the water bottle before setting it back down. "Oh, it doesn't, huh? And I suppose that it doesn't have fang bits hidden in the wings, ether?" Puffing her cheeks in slight annoyance, she took his point. _Well, he doesn't exactly boast about what he's capable of, so I guess it's possible_ she thought as he turned back and reactivated the training circles.

"Don't you get tired swinging around with that kind of weight on?" she asked as the targets began to spin again, this time much faster than before. "Yeah, but I was taught that if you're not sweating at the end of a work-out, then you're not doing it right." Though he couldn't see her face since she was behind him, Cecilia got several shades darker as some rather un-ladylike thoughts ran through her head at that. As he began his next set, she stood there, amazed that someone could move so fast with 30 pounds on each limb. Watching his arms and legs move, the muscles in his back and chest bunch and relax with each blow was definitely **not** helping her state of mind. Shaking her head to try and clear the thoughts, she opened her eyes right as he finished off the last three targets in a quick flurry of punches and a flying kick. This time, he was definitely feeling the workout as sweat dripped from his nose as he sat down to catch his breath. Tossing him the towel, Cecilia sat next to him and asked, "So, who was your instructor?" "For fighting? That would be Sergeant Camerine Miles, although I guess by the time he taught me he was retired. The old bastard was pushing 60 with more white than any other color in his hair, but he could still knock me down faster than I could think." Simon answered with a small smile.

At this point, Ichika seriously considered leaving the two alone. That is, until Rin and Houki came up behind him. He quickly shushed them so that they wouldn't all get busted and asked quietly, "What are you two doing here?" "Looking for you, moron," Rin said as she and Houki peaked around the corner, "We were wondering what you were up…to… Is that Cecilia and Simon?" Sighing at how the situation had spiraled out of control so quickly. "Yes, but please keep it down. I don't want to think what they would do if they found us snooping." Looking at each other, the girls nodded in silent agreement before turning their attention back to the field.

"You miss him?" Cecilia asked, interested in learning more about the boy that she was starting to crush on. No point in denying it now. "Yeah, I guess I kinda do. He could be a real hardass, but he meant it in the best way possible. When I asked him once why he was always such a salty old bastard when he trained me, he said, 'It's my job to break you now so you don't in the field, and that's what I'm going to do. Now get down and give me 20!' I think that was the point where my hatred for him started turning into respect." He explained, clearly enjoying sharing at least part of himself with someone else. Simon only realized it now, but he had never really opened up about anything personal since he came here, even though everyone around him had been. Hell, he knew more about the entire student body here through what he picked up off-hand than anyone ever knew about him, except maybe Chifuyu. And she only really knew what was in his file. _And even_ that _isn't close to everything_ he thought, feeling the gloom come back. _Ah, screw it. Let's lance this boil now before it becomes cancerous_.

Staring up at the clouds, he asked, "You want to ask me about what set me off with that rouge unit on Friday, don't you?" Looking stunned, she quickly shook her head. "N-no, of course not! Whatever that was, it was clearly personal. I wouldn't want to force you…." "It's alright, I don't mind now," he replied, turning to face her, "Translated, what it said to me was 'see you on the other side.' It was something my sister and I would always joke would be our last words if either of us ever died. We picked it up from some TV show, and it sounded so cool to us at the time." Cecilia just sat there; surprised to learn he had a sister. "Actually, she was my twin, older than me by a few seconds, but she held that over my head until I was old enough to understand that it didn't matter. When we were ten, she was scouted as a potential IS pilot, and I went along with her, determined to be of some use." He explained with a sad smile on his lips. As the silence stretched on, Cecilia finally broke it. "And, were you?"

"In a way," he replied, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms on them, "I found that I had a natural talent for engineering and they quickly made me the head mechanic on her IS. I was so proud of that, I think I spent more time tinkering with it than I did sleeping or studying. It took us the better part of 2 years before we had developed what we believed to be a workable 3rd generation prototype, but…" He stopped, his eyes clouding over. Whatever came next was clearly what had been troubling him. "There was a…accident, and the IS…..didn't meet expectations." "What do you mean, 'didn't meet expectations?' What happened?" Cecilia asked, although she could already guess where this was going. "The power distribution wasn't balanced right, and the suit's capacitors quickly became charged and unstable. Her last words to me were 'ci vediamo dall'altra parte, fratello.' See you on the other side, brother." At that, he rested his head on his amrs, tears starting to fall down his own face. It made her heart break to see someone that had been a big blow-hard and yet kind person suddenly crying. Moving closer, she grabbed onto his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Simon. You don't have to cry." "But it was," he managed, just under his breathe, "They were pushing for results, and I didn't do enough to stop them. I knew the suit wasn't ready for practical trials. Hell, we had trouble stabilizing the damned thing in the lab under controlled conditions. And the best part was that it was because of that that I discovered I can control an IS."

"How's that?" Cecilia asked, hoping to change the subject and take his mind off this. "When I went to examine what was left of the suit, the core responded to me. They quickly found another unoccupied IS and tried it's reaction to me, and boy did it react. When you're suddenly clad in metal and twice your normal height, it's a real shock. The other researchers concluded it was because we were twins that the cores believe I AM my sister. How's that for freaking irony?" Not knowing what to say, Cecilia draped her right arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him. They sat like that for a few minutes before Simon lifted his head up and looked over at Cecilia. Her eyes were closed, and the look of peace on her face told him that she was definitely enjoying this. Clearing his throat, he looked back up at the sky so she wouldn't catch him staring, or the light color on his own cheeks. Hearing her breath hitch as she realized what she had been doing, he felt her sit up ramrod straight and could imagine she was trying to look anywhere but at him with a furious blush. "Well, I'd better go shower, unless you wanted a demonstration of why I practice this kind of fighting?" He asked.

Though the color had lessened some, she was still blushing as she looked at her feet. "Uh..I don't have any real close combat weapons, so I don't think I would-" "That's alright," Simon said, standing up and dusting himself off, "We have a good volunteer behind us." Turning around, he raised his hand and shouted, "I know you three are there, you can come out now." Houki, Ichika and Rin all flinched as they realized they had been made. Ichika, ever the gentleman, walked out first, scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. Trying to not look guilty themselves, the two girls followed him a short time later. What they all saw was Simon glaring at them, mostly in amusement, but also clearly ticked off. Cecilia was back to blushing again, her face almost turning purple. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Simon shook his head as the three lined up in front of them.

"Okay, so who wants to have their ass kicked first?" Simon asked, arching his eyebrow and looking at Rin. The three spies just stood there, looking confused. "I know you heard about my offering of a demonstration. If you make me pick someone, it might just get worse from here." Simon said, the look he was giving them promising that there was no escape from this. After waiting a few seconds to see what everyone would do, Ichika stepped forward. "I'll fight you. In fact, I've been looking for a chance to spar with you. We never really got a chance to fight." Smiling, they walked away from the two girls that were now trying to whisper with Cecilia, although she was clearly still too embarrassed to talk with them. Turning to face each other, the two boys summoned their IS, although Simon's had a distinct difference this time; his shield was missing.

"What happened to your shield?" Ichika asked. Smiling, Simon let his right foot slide back, angled himself so that his left shoulder was facing Ichika, and brought his fists up. "I said I would show her why I practice fighting hand-to-hand. That's what I intend to do." Shrugging, Ichika took his own stance and waited for some signal to start. Seconds turned into minutes as the two pilots stared at each other, neither moving a muscle. The girls had since retreated back a ways, Rin and Houki forgetting about teasing Cecilia for the moment. Finally, Ichika moved, using his Ignition Burst to close on Simon. As he brought his sword down in an overhead swing, Simon used his left arm to deflect the blow while he side-stepped and brought his right arm up into Ichika's stomach. Right before impact, the small shield on Simon's arm popped up slightly and a meter-long blade slid out from underneath it. The punch, now a stab, hit Ichika square in the chest, sending him flying back a couple meters before he stopped himself and took another look at Simon's IS. The new sword began at his wrist, and was clearly a last-resort weapon. Flicking his left hand, Simon deployed an identical one on his left arm before resuming his starting pose.

"What's the matter, Ichika? Lost your nerve?" Simon taunted. "Hardly. Here I come again!" he said, charging him again. This time, they traded numerous blows. Simon was able to deflect Ichika's sword fairly easily with his own blades, but his own strikes were also turned aside. One moment, Simon would be giving ground and trying not to let Ichika land a solid blow, and the next he was on the offensive, sending a flury of punches and swipes that forced Ichika to back off instead. After a particulary daring attack where Ichika tried to sweep Simon's feet out from under him, the blonde was forced to jump to avoid the hit. Smiling, Simon turned the dodge into his own attack, spinning around to smash his heal into Ichika's head. As he tried to step back to avoid the kick, a flash caught his attention before something slashed across the shields around his head, sending him stumbling again. At this point, the girls were more than a little stunned since none of them had really expected that kind of attack. Simon had deployed a blade from the leg of his IS, just to the right of it's foot. "I think you now understand the nature of your enemy." Simon stated as he backed off to let Ichika recover. At this, Ichika just started grinning like a fool before he took flight to continue the fight.

"Why is that idiot smiling like a lunatic?" Rin asked, puzzled over why someone would be so happy at being blindsided. Cecilia just shook here head in confusion. It was Houki that answered, "It's the joy of having a real fight. Simon may not be a swordsman, but he is a trained fighter. And there's nothing more enjoyable that fighting a worthy opponent." The other two girls just looked at her while Houki watched the fight. Simon had deployed the blade on his other foot and was now using the same moves he had been practicing, sending kicks, punches and combinations of the two at Ichika. While he couldn't really counter most of them, Ichika did find a few openings and managed to start taking Simon's shields down a bit at a time. _At least he's smart enough to not use his one-off under these condition_ Houki thought as the battle went on.

About an hour later, with both their shields near zero, the two boys were too tired to continue and called it a draw. Destructing their IS, they went back towards the locker room to shower off while the girls waited outside the stadium. "So, Cecilia," Rin began, "did you two, you know..?" she just let the question hang there as Cecilia took a moment to clue into what the Chinese girl meant. "W-what?! Rin, I would never! To even suggest that I would-!" This outburst just met laughter as Houki turned away and Rin fell on the ground, clutching her stomach. The British girl was so transparent, after all, that they couldn't NOT find it funny. Gathering herself first, Houki walked up to her as Cecilia just hid her blush behind her hands. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she said, "It's okay, Cecilia, we won't say anything until you do. Besides, he clearly likes you, to." The look in her eyes was more than just gratitude. Cecilia honestly hoped that her friend was right. The three had collected themselves by the time the boys met up with them and the five went back to the dorms.

* * *

"Class, we have a new student joining us today." Maya announced after everyone had sat down. _Mondays are always so full of surprises_ Simon thought. As Maya gestured to the door, the new student walked in. The new **male** student. The shock on Simon's and Ichika's face was quickly replaced by looks of pain as the entire class (minus Houki and Cecilia) squealed at the new arrival. He was a little shorter than the other two boys, and had his blonde hair done up in a pony tail. "This is Charles Dunios, the Representative Candidate from France." Maya continued, starting another bought of squeals as the girls oohed over the french boy, who was clearly nervous as hell at the attention he was getting. Thankfully, the noise came to an abrupt halt when Chifuyu walked into the room. "Alright, class, we're going to have a practical drill today, so get to the locker rooms and get changed." She announced before turning and leaving. Glancing at each other, Simon and Ichika came to an agreement. They both shot out of their seats as soon as Chifuyu left, grabbed Charles and made their way as quickly as they could out of the building. "Uh, wha-what's going on? Is something the matter?" he asked, confused as to why he was being dragged out of the building.

"Trust us, it's for your own safety." Simon said as they got outside. Since they weren't in immediate danger, they let Charles go and started walking normally. "Is it always that noisy in the classroom?" Charles asked. _Man, if he hadn't been announced as French, that accent would have given him away in a heartbeat_ Simon thought as they made their way to the practice grounds. "Yeah, but only with us guys. You'd think they'd never seen a dude before." Simon replied. "You get used to it. Kind of." Ichika added as the rounded a corner, right into another group of girls. "Crap." Was all Simon managed before the three were forced to flee from said group of girls, who where more than a little interested in 'getting to know' the three of them.

After finally making it to the locker room, Simon and Ichika began to change. Strangely enough, Charles was able to change in the time it took the two to change their shirts. Neither of them had even seen the guy take his clothes off. He was also clearly a little embarrassed at seeing the other two boys half-clothed, judging from the light red Simon saw on his cheeks. "What's the matter, never changed in a locker room before?" Simon asked as he stuffed his pants in the locker. "Y-yeah, not really. I, uh, I'll just be outside." Charles stammered as he went for the exit. "Strange guy." Ichika said as he shut his own locker. Before leaving, Simon checked the padlock on his own locker. Somehow, his shirt had gone missing last week, and he didn't even want to guess at who had it. _The way this school acts around us, could be one of the staff for all I know_ he thought as he went out onto the field, _just hope it wasn't Chifuyu. She's all kinds of scary._ Taking his place at the end of the line, Simon saw that there were several training IS stationed in the field.

"Today you will be practicing the basics of handling an IS on the ground. Those of you with personal IS, split up among the training IS we have out. Those without their own will form groups of five and pair up with one of them and begin going through the motions of boarding and moving one of these training IS." Chifuyu explained, then she and Maya each picked an IS to help out. Simon walked over to one of the IS, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't exactly the world's greatest teacher. "Simon-kun?" someone asked from behind him. As he turned around, he saw his group consisted of two brunettes,two blondes and a girl with red hair. "Alright, who's first?" He asked, deciding to get this over with as soon as possible. "I-I'll go first." The red-head said, walking up to the IS. "Alright, just climb up here and put your feet in there." Simon explained, pointing to the holes in the legs.

"I can't really get a good grip. Could you help me up?" she asked. Without even thinking, Simon was halfway to helping her before he thought about it for a moment. _Ah, that's the game, is it?_ Instead of boosting her up into the suit, which would have probably resulted in him grouping her ass, he summoned two of his fang bits without the blades active and lined them up as stairs. "There, that should help you." he said, taking note of the slight look of disappointment not just on her face, but on the other four girls as well. _Sorry, ladies, gotta be a little sneakier than that_. After the first two had gone through the motions without any hitches, Simon heard some yelling across the field and turned to see Houki pummeling Ichika. Shaking his head, he turned back to his class. "Simon-kun, shouldn't someone stop her?" one of the blonde girls asked. "No, whatever she's doing, he probably deserves it." He answered. The idiot could do with some creative education.

"What do you mean, I'm moving out?!" Simon demanded, looking between Chifuyu, Ichika and Charles. Sighing in annoyance, she said, "I can't have three of you in a room, and I also can't have an incident with mister Dunios here. I don't trust my brother not to do or say something stupid, so that leaves you by default." "But I-" "No buts, the decision's been made, and one of the second year students has kindly offered to take you in since she doesn't have a roommate." Chifuyu said before walking away, ending any further discussion. Sighing, he turned to the other two boys who looked like they felt guilty as hell about this. Sighing, Simon said, "Don't worry, I doubt this will be half as bad as you're thinking. Besides, if it comes down to it, I'm sure I could get Cecilia to snipe her over the weekend if she tries anything." Grabbing his bags, Simon left the two wondering if he would actually do it, since they both knew, or at least Ichika knew, that Cecilia would definitely do it.

Arriving on the fifth floor, Simon found his new room was towards the end of one of the halls. After knocking on the door and hearing a muffled "come in," he walked into a room that looked a lot like the one he had left. Except for a few posters, the light blue cups on the little kitchenette counter, and the girl with the same colored hair and red eyes sitting on a bed in nothing but a button-up t-shirt. She looked him up and down with a mischievous glint before spreading her fan in front of hef mouth and giggling.

"Oh, you're going to be a treat." She said, moving to get up. _This is not going to go well_ Simon thought as she walked up to him, the playfulness in her eyes daring him to try something. _Not well at all_.

 **And now our brave pilot meets Tatenashi Sarashiki. Will he be able to resist her charms? I was honestly on the fence about whether to include her at all, but the fun she adds with her playfulness was too much to resist. Also, I apologize for dumping an exposition on you, but I couldn't really think of a good way to give back story that didn't feel like filler. On the plus side, there's only one more character to introduce before I can kick my story line up a gear and get some things moving. You're going to want to remember what you learn about his sister, it becomes important later.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5; The German Terror

To say that Simon didn't get a good night's sleep would be an understatement. Having only been able to sleep after about 1 am due to exhaustion, he awoke at 7 to find himself in the same position he had been when he passed out. That is, there was a certain blue haired girl using him as a body pillow, her head tucked into the side of his chest. _Thank God no one walked in on this_ he thought as he looked around for a way to get free. Tatenashi Sarashiki was surprisingly stronger than she appeared, since the arms wrapped around his stomach felt more like bindings. The fact that she had wrapped his left leg with her own didn't help either. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat in an effort to wake the girl up. She opened her eyes immediately, startling him. "What, not comfortable anymore? You sure didn't mind last night." She teased, shifting around in the bed and pressing closer to him.

"I was wondering when you would release me, since we have classes today. And how long have you been awake, anyway?" he asked, trying again to get up, and again failing. This just caused her to giggle again as she tried to fall back asleep. _I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand_ he thought as he summoned one of his fang bits. Maneuvering it behind her, he used just the slightest amount of pressure possible and poked her in the butt with the tip of the plasma blade, causing her to yelp and sit up in surprise, clutching said butt. The second he was free, Simon leapt off his side of the bed and started gathering his clothes for the day. "Aww, you're no fun, Simon. Besides, I could have gotten you out of class today, anyway." Tatenashi said, puffing her cheeks up and getting off the bed. "Yeah, cause spending a day locked in this room with you would do me worlds of good." He said, moving towards the bathroom. "Is that an invitation? My, I didn't know you could be so bold, Feli." She whispered into his ear from behind, causing him to jump. Damn, she could move quietly. Controlling any further reaction, he went into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. "I hear you messing with the lock, there will be consequences." He called out as he turned the shower on.

 _Damn, how can she do that?_ He thought, feeling a blush coming on as he remembered the events of last night. She had kept him up with constant teasing, innuendo, and rubbing herself on his arm towards the end. Shaking his head to clear it, Simon went about preparing for the day. As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Tatenashi holding up a pair of panties and examining them. "You ruined my favorite bottom." She said, turning it so he saw the hole. "Well, that's what you get for not taking a-" he stopped midway as a thought crossed his mind. _She didn't open a drawer, and she's examining her underwear, her underwear from_ this morning. Turning around and leaning on the wall, he fought down the blush coming up, barely. "Oh? What's the matter, Feli? You thinking naughty things about me?" she asked, the last part practically breathed into his ear. Clenching his teeth and screwing his eyes shut, he managed to say, "J-just get changed, please, for the love of everything good." She just blew into his ear once more before going into the bathroom, giggling to herself as always. Moving as if he had been shocked, Simon quickly gathered his stuff for class and was out the door before Tatenashi realized it.

 _That woman is ten kinds of danger_ he concluded as he slowed down to a walk after leaving the dorms. When he arrived at the classroom, he noticed Ichika and Charles acting odd. Charles was fidgeting at his desk, and the two weren't looking at each other. _The hell happened to those two?_ Before he could ask, a folder collided with his head, sending him stumbling forward a step. Turning around, he saw Chifuyu in the doorway, glaring at him. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Felix. Kindly take your seat, while you're still able." After practically launching himself into his seat, Chifuyu walked up to the center of the classroom and turned to address the whole class. "We have another new student today. You will treat her with the same respect that you show others." As if on que, the new student walked into the room. She wasn't much taller than Rin, but her hair was silver and fell loosely down her back. Instead of a skirt like most of the girls here, her uniform had been modified with rather baggy pants. The most striking detail about her, though, was the eye patch over her left eye. After scanning the classroom, her gaze settled on Ichika and stayed there, turning into a glare that could kill.

"This is Laura Bodewig, the Representative Candidate of Germany." Chifuyu stated simply before turning to prepare the board for the days lessons. Taking this opportunity, Laura walked up to Ichika's desk. Before the bluenette could introduce himself, she slapped him, saying, "I will not accept you as her brother." before continuing to her own seat. Needless to say, this left the entire classroom a little stunned, except Chifuyu, who just continued on with the lessons. After breaking for lunch, Simon steered Ichika to the rooftop. There were just too many questions too early in the morning for his taste. Thankfully, they had both decided to bring lunch today. "Okay, what the heck did you do to that girl?" he asked as they sat down to eat. He was thankful that the girls would be busy gathering their food from the cafeteria before joining them. It would give him a chance to get the story straight with Ichika.

"I have no clue. I never even met that girl till today. And before you ask, yes, I would remember silver hair and an eye patch." Ichika replied, opening his box lunch. "What was with that, anyway? Did she lose an eye, or is she just trying to look cool?" Simon mused as he took a bite from his ham sandwich. While cooking wasn't his strong suit, and hadn't been for a while, Simon had learned to make do with the simpler foods a long time ago. The two boys continued talking for a while until the girls showed up with their own food. Without even pausing, Cecilia sat down facing Simon and asked, "How was your night? I heard that you made quite the commotion coming down from the fifth floor." Snorting his water at the abruptness of the question, he looked up to see a serious look on her face. Looking to the others, he just saw various grins as they waited for his answer. "Well…. I wouldn't recommend a night with Tatenashi to anyone, I can tell you that much. The girl doesn't know the meaning of personal space." As soon as the last words were out of his mouth, he realized he had made a mistake. Cecilia and Rin got a very serious look on their faces as they leaned in. "By 'personal space, you mean..?" Cecilia began.

"N-nothing like that! I would never!" Simon corrected quickly, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Seeing the relieved looks on their faces, he couldn't help but smile. _So, the both of them, huh?_ he thought. "And besides, I'm not into crazy, so your position is safe, princess." He added, looking away. He could feel the heat of her blush at that one, as well as everyone trying really hard not to laugh. Except for Rin, who seemed a little put out. The rest of their day went by fairly peacefully, even though Laura glared at Ichika like she expected him to spontaneously combust. As class was dismissed for the day, they learned that next week would be dedicated to another class tournament. As they left the classroom, Simon and Ichika started to look forward to the notion of fighting each other again. That is, until Rin delivered some rather disturbing news.

She had rushed to meet up with them as they left the building. Without even pausing for breath, she asked, "So, who are you two pairing up with?" "Huh?" they both said, confused. Their Chinese friend just sighed and shook her head at the cluelessness in the two boys. "Didn't you hear? The matches are team-based. It's going to be two on two. Jeez, I would expect this from Ichika, but not you, idiot." She said, turning to Simon. "Stop calling me idiot, shrimp!" he responded, starting yet another fight that lasted until they made it to the dorms. After parting at the elevators, Simon took one up to the fifth floor alone, trying to get a moment to think. _Team based, huh? Should prove to be interesting._ As he entered his room, he was greeted by Tatenashi in a rather revealing apron.

"Welcome back! Would you like dinner, a massage, or perhaps," she said, looking completely innocent, "Me?" "W-what the-? What?" was all he managed since his brain was totally fried. "I said, would you like some food, or perhaps you would like to…have…me?" she asked again, leaning in and practically whispering into his ear. Digging deep into what remained of his self-control, which wasn't much since he had needed to restrain himself from challenging the German the whole day, he managed to say, "Tatenashi, please, not today." Somehow, she took the hint and backed up a bit. "Don't worry, I'm wearing a swimsuit under this." She said, winking and turning around to show him that it was half true. She was wearing the bottom of a two-piece swimsuit. Smacking his forehead to bring himself back to reality, Simon walked over to his bed and flopped down, exhausted. Tatenashi had indeed been cooking, and the soup smelled heavenly.

"Just please don't ask me about dessert, Tatenashi." Simon begged as he closed his eyes, triggering another fit of giggles from the girl. "What's the matter, tough day? If anyone is giving you a hard time, just let me know, I'll handle it." She said, turning around to look at him. "Sure, sure." "No, I mean it." She replied, causing Simon to open his eyes again. The serious look she had was enough to convince him she meant it. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why? You've only known me for two days." he asked, sitting back up. "What, I'm not allowed to stick up for my roommate now?" she asked back, looking hurt. This threw Simon off a bit, and he decided to just shake his head and let the matter drop. After the soup had finished and they had both filled a bowl, Simon decided that there was a particular matter he had to settle with this girl, for his own peace of mind if nothing else.

"Tatenashi, can I ask you to be honest with me?" he began, setting his bowl aside. She looked a little shocked, but nodded her head. "Okay, are you actually trying to go anywhere with this, or are you just flirting for fun?" Tatenashi just sat there, her spoon rested on her chin, thinking. After a bit, she responded with a question of her own. "Did you want it to go anywhere?" Surprised that she had responded without making it into some kind of sexual joke, Simon decided to continue. "I won't say that you're not an attractive girl. You are. It's just that, well, I may have…" he said before trailing off. "Found someone already?" she finished with a small smile on her lips. Simon just blushed slightly and nodded, not trusting his voice. Setting her own bowl aside, she sat on the bed next to Simon and took his left hand in her own. "I won't lie and say I didn't think about having you for myself. But, I respect you enough as a person to let you decide this on your own." Simon just sat there, gaping.

"I did see the footage of when you fought the Ogre, and I watched your official battle with your classmates, and your sparing match with Ichika." She continued, looking at him, "So I already know you're a capable pilot, as well as a kind person. If nothing else, I would like to be your friend, if you wouldn't mind." Taking a few moments to collect himself, since he had expected everything else except this response, he finally found his voice again. "I wouldn't mind being your friend. Just, please try and keep the teasing to a minimum?" At this, she just giggled and kissed his cheek. "No promises."

* * *

The week passed fairly quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was Friday afternoon. Simon had spent some of his free time rigging up a special surprise for a particular silver-haired nuisance. Hiding just down the hall from her room with a remote in his hand, he glanced at Ichika and Cecilia, who had chosen to follow him. "Are you sure about this? If she figures out you did it, she will kill you." Ichika asked for the third time. "For the last time, I know what I'm doing. I'm an engineer, remember? Messing with some pipes isn't that hard." Simon replied as Rin came back from listening at Laura's door. She was especially looking forward to this particular trick since Laura had been getting on her nerves, too. "Okay, she's in the shower now." She reported as she hid behind Simon. Better to let him take the brunt of it should this go wrong. With an evil smile, he flipped the only switch on the remote and started counting.

 _Five, six, seven, eight._ As he hit ten, they heard a scream from Laura's room and they all bust out laughing, even Ichika. Simon had spent the last three days tracing water pipes until he found the one to Laura's room, specifically the one to her shower. He had then quickly rigged a remote bypass system to route the cold water into the hot water pipe. After he had recovered, he flipped the switch again to bring the hot water back and quickly shooed everyone away should the German come out in the hall. _And that is why you don't piss of an engineer_ he thought smugly as they left the dorms to conduct their regular practice in one of the stadiums.

After changing, Ichika and Simon arrived to see that Houki and Charles were already there; Houki looking a little pissed that they were late, and Charles looking a little nervous at seeing them. "Hey, Ichika, what the heck happened between you and Charles?" Simon asked, causing the bluenette to blush slightly. "U-umm, well, nothing 'happened,' if that's what you mean. But, uh, he…surprised me with something." he answered, looking away. Realizing he's not going to get a straight answer out of him, Simon summoned his IS and brought up several targets for fang bit practice. _Damnit, the helmet isn't aligned properly, again_ he thought with annoyance as he tried to straighten it with one hand. He hadn't realized that Cecilia was behind him and watching him mess with the helmet. "Why do you wear that if it doesn't fit properly? You know your shields cover your head, right?" she asked, confused. "It's a little more complicated than that. Let's just say I need it to make my IS function properly." He replied. As he turned to face her, he saw a flash from one of the launch bays and barely brought his shield up in time to deflect a rather large cannon shell.

"AMERICAN!" Laura screamed from where she stood in her own IS, drawing the attention of everyone else on the field. Her IS was built more like a tank, with the only obvious weapon being a shoulder mounted railgun on her right side. She was also looking like death incarnate as she glared murder at Simon. "I know that was you earlier! You will pay for that dearly!" she promised, charging another shot. Thinking quickly, Simon unfolded his wings to increase his mobility and opened a com link to Charles. "Charles, I need a rifle! Throw it above your head, now!" He said, taking off and just barley dodging another shot from the furious German. Using the increased control over his Ignition Burst that his wings granted him, he rocketed over Charles' head right as he tossed up one of his SMGs. Grabbing it with his one free hand, and taking a brief moment to be thankful that Charles had released control of the weapon to him, Simon let loose on his opponent. The others had long since taken flight, with Ichika carrying Houki who didn't have an IS, and gotten some distance on the two pilots. As his shots got closer to her, Laura just held up her left hand and projected a barrier in the shape of an outward facing bowl. As the bullets impacted the barrier, they just stopped dead. It was like watching Neo stop bullets in The Matrix.

 _Okay, that didn't work. Time to try another tactic_ he thought as he tossed the SMG aside. "Fangs, fly!" he commanded as he triggered the blade on his right hand. The four fangs on his hips launched, however the ones in his wings stayed docked, and they flew straight for Laura, only to have two of them stopped by that barrier again. _She probably can't maintain more than one of those at a time_ he reasoned as he charged in from her right side, hoping to catch her off guard. Bringing his arm forward for a straight punch, he grinned as she just stood there, glaring at him with her left hand still holding the two fangs back. She smiled back, all malice and contempt, as her right hand raised and deployed another barrier, stopping him in his tracks. "H-how? What the heck is this?" He asked, completely confused as to how she had stopped him at the speed he was traveling at. "It's time someone put you in your place, little boy." She said, lowering her gun so the barrel was right in his face. "Well, you forgot something, twerp. I had _four_ fangs, not two." He said, grinning back as the other two fangs, which had been staying back, flew into her back and took a good part of her shields with them.

The shock from the blow sent her forward a couple feet and forced her to release the barriers she had been using. Taking the opportunity, Simon recalled his fangs and moved back from her. "If you want to settle this, then wait until the tournament. I'll gladly mop the floor with you there." Simon promised as he landed. Glaring at him again, she destructed her IS and left as quickly as she had arrived. _Strange girl_ he thought as the other came up behind him. "Simon, are you alright?" Cecilia asked, clearly concerned, "How did she do that? I've never seen someone stop a person mid-charge like that." "I wish I knew. Whichever one of us fights her should probably be prepared for something brutal." He responded, causing everyone to look at him, confused. "Does she really strike you as the reasonable type? I'm pretty sure she's going to blame all of you, to, simply for knowing me." At this, they all got a rather uneasy look as that sunk in.

"By the way, did you pair up with someone for the tournament yet, Ichika?" Simon asked, trying to change the subject. "Huh? No, I haven't yet." he responded, looking a little guilty about it. Seeing Houki and Rin suddenly looking hopeful, Simon decided to press on. "Then why not pair with me? We're both melee fighters, so I think it would work pretty well." He continued, causing those looks of hope to fade, although Houki still looked determined about something. "But, what if you have to fight someone with long-range weapons?" Charles asked. "Well, then ask Cecilia how well that works on me." Simon replied, smiling innocently as Cecilia turned and glared at him, still a little embarrassed about that loss. "You only won because you had hidden weapons. If it had been a fair fight-" "Then you probably would have lost quicker." Simon interrupted, causing her to stutter in outrage. Turning back to Ichika, he offered his hand. "So, do you want to team up? I think we should both show that German a lesson." After thinking it over for a second, Ichika took his hand and shook. "Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

Saturday morning saw a pair of rather interesting developments. Simon was in Ichika's and Charles' room, discussing possible tactics when they heard a knock at the door. Ichika opened it to reveal a rather nervous looking Houki. "Hey, what's up?" Ichika asked, although Houki just stood there looking very nervous. Sliding over to Charles, Simon whispered, "Be prepared to run in case she goes ballistic." Charles just looked back at the other blonde in confusion. After mumbling under her breath for a while, she suddenly looked straight at Ichika and blurted out, "If I win the tournament, you have to date me!" before she rushed off. The other two boys just stared at Ichika, waiting for some kind of response. He just turned around, looking just as confused as the rest of them. "What just happened?" he asked, the look on his face finally causing Simon to bust out laughing.

"Oh, man," he managed after catching his breath, "If that's what she calls flirting, she is in some serious trouble." "Wh-what do you mean, flirting?" Ichika asked, his cheeks starting to go red. Realizing where Simon was going, Charles just smiled, although it looked a little sad. "She clearly likes you, Ichika, although it doesn't look like she knows how to express it properly." He said "L-likes me? As in…..she... Me?" Ichika stammered, clearly unable to wrap his mind around this notion of a childhood friend with a crush on him. Sighing, Simon got up and smacked the back of Ichika's head, a move that was something of a universal reset button with people. "She likes you, moron, as in she wants to be more than friends. Wow, are you only just making this connection now?" He asked, all seriousness again. Leaving it at that, they left the room to go get lunch, though Ichika was clearly still trying to come to terms with what he had just learned.

As they walked through the main hall of the dorms, they saw the posted matches for the first round of the first and second-year tournaments. Stopping to examine the board, Charles and Ichika heard Simon say, "Ah, crap." Walking up behind him, they looked to where he was pointing on the board. The second match of the first-year tournament would be between Ichika/Simon and Laura/Houki. This just caused Ichika to gulp as Simon said, "Well, isn't that just our luck?"

 **Yeah, isn't that just their luck? I will try and make that particular battle longer than some of the ones previously. Also, while I do kind of feel guilty for friend-zoning Tatenashi, I frankly don't have the patience for a drawn-out love triangle. Which also means I'm going to have to pair Ichika with someone at some point in this story. I will probably be able to get one more chapter out, maybe two, before I have to head back to college. At which point my ability to write will depend on the workload I will have with these classes.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6; The Raven's Secret

After spending all day Saturday and most of Sunday working on Ichika's IS, Simon decided that now would be as good a time as any to visit the bath house on the grounds. He had been working with Ichika and two of the tech students trying to improve Ichika's IS, although the way it had been designed did not give them a whole lot to work with. After finally looking through its schematics to try and pinpoint the reason the new equipment wasn't being accepted by the machine, Simon snorted in disgust and threw the tablet back onto the table. "Something the matter, Simon?" Ichika asked, looking up from where he had been tinkering with Byakushiki's sword. The outburst that followed was not what he, or the two girls, had expected as a response.

"What dumbass designs a IS with only one bus port for its first shift?! It's only weapon is a goddamned sword, and they didn't think to leave room for upgrades?" he yelled, pacing around the IS and flailing his arms to make his point, "What self-respecting engineer puts a sword as the primary and says, 'well, that should be good enough.' And then they make the damned thing draw power from ALL of the systems to activate its one-off ability? What the hell are they thinking?! Fuck!" After getting that out of his system, Simon had visibly calmed down, though the two girls that had been helping them looked a little concerned that the American might turn his anger on them. Instead, he picked up a wrench and started working on popping one of the panels on the left wing off. "You okay now, Simon? Or do I need to bring Rin here for you to cleanse yourself properly?" Ichika asked, amused rather than terrified at his outburst. He had learned that as an IS engineer, Simon took great pride in his trade.

"I'm fine now." He replied as he finally got the panel off, "If your IS won't except upgrade parts in the traditional sense, we're going to have to trick it." "And how would we do that?" one of the girls asked, her professional curiosity outweighing the fear from earlier. "Well, I'm hoping to boost Byakushiki's power reserves so its one-off ability can be used for longer periods of time. But we can't attach energy storage cells in the conventional sense because the suit won't recognize them." He explained as he tugged out a particular bundle of wiring, "So, we're going to have to work the cells _into_ the existing wiring in a way that makes the machine believe they are existing parts." "I've never heard of someone actually trying to trick an IS' programing. You actually think we can do that?" the other girl asked as she walked up behind him to examine the wires. Since they were both engineers like him, he knew exactly what to say next. Without even turning around, he asked, "You think we can't?" He had just thrown down a challenge, and no engineer would ever refuse a challenge in their own area of expertise. The two girls began to pull panels off different areas of the IS and resizing the storage cells to fit accordingly. Ichika just stood back and watched, occasionally handing the three parts and tools they required. While he would have loved to help, he didn't know enough about the technology to do anything.

By the time the three had finished, Byakushiki's power reserves had been doubled, leaving Ichika with the ability to trigger his one-off three times before he started to drain his shield energy. After wiping some grease off his hands, Simon returned to his room and grabbed a pair of shorts for the bath house. He had intended to visit it sooner, but most of the time it was in use by the girls at the academy since there was only the one. After listening carefully for any voices in the changing room, and hearing none, Simon entered and changed into his shorts before putting his clothes into an empty locker. As he walked into the bath room, he saw Ichika and Charles there already, back to back and looking rather nervous. "So, you guys had the same idea, to?" he asked as he got in the water and moved to join them.

The furious blush on Charles' face stopped him short, and he took a moment to study the two to figure out why. It only took him a moment to note the outline of his body in the water through the mist, and he just sat down a little ways from them and looked at Ichika. And sure enough, the bluenette was also blushing, so he had also noticed. _Or maybe he knew for a while now. He did say Charles surprised him with something_ Simon realized before turning back to the Frenchman. "So, care to explain why you're masquerading as a boy, Ms. Dunios?" he asked, emphasizing the Ms. At this he, or rather she, just blushed harder and looked away. "I-I don't kn-know what you're ta-talking about." She stammered, trying to act normally. "Okay, let me try a different tack. Ichika, how long have you known? And if _you_ dodge the question, I promise to screw with more than your shower." Simon promised.

It took the bluenette all of five seconds to weigh his options and decide that coming clean was better. "Since the night that you left. I, uh, walked in…on…her." he said, the last words causing the two to blush even harder. At this rate, one of them would probably need to go to the infirmary from the blood rushing to their heads. Rather than sitting there and torturing the two, Simon got up and walked over to where the spare towels were placed and grabbed one of the bigger ones. Walking back to where the two were sitting, he handed it to Charles while keeping his eyes averted. "Here, this should help, somewhat." He said as she took the towel and he sat back down. After wrapping herself in it, the three felt a little more comfortable facing each other, although their faces were still a little pink. "So, w-what happens now?" Charles asked after the two boys continued to sit there. "Well, Ichika has already been doing a good job of not telling anyone. As for me, I don't see a reason to rat you out to anyone." Simon said, causing the other two to sigh in relief. "However." He continued, "It does raise some questions about my having to move out of that room." This just caused another blush to appear on Charles' face as she tried to look away.

"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble, Simon. It wasn't my intention." She said, looking a little guilty. "I was sent here to serve as a spy for my father's company. He wanted to learn whatever he could about the male IS pilots and believed that I could get closer to you if I pretended to be a boy." "Because staying as a girl totally wouldn't have allowed you to get close to one of us. Sure." Simon said, trying very hard to not explode about her poor excuse of a father. _What man forces their own daughter to_ do _something like this?_ he wondered, trying to imagine what reason would drive such a decision, and finding nothing beyond money. "Well, so long as you're at the academy, you should be safe from your father." Ichika said. The two blondes just looked at him in confusion before Simon finally clued in on what he meant. "You mean the 'no interference' policy?" he asked. Ichika just nodded and turned to Charles to explain. "As long as you attend this school, not outside force can exercise authority over you, private or political. That gives you three years to figure out a solution to this problem. I will definitely help you, and I'm sure Simon will to." The blonde just nodded at this, but was startled as the Frenchwoman suddenly started to cry.

"Th-thank you, both of you." She said as she brought her hands up to clear her eyes. While his sibling instincts were telling him to comfort her, Simon remained acutely aware of where they were, and what they were wearing. _Best not to send the wrong message now_ he thought as they sat there, talking. After about an hour, the three decided it was time to return to their rooms. The tournament would be starting tomorrow, and Ichika and Simon would need their rest for it. That would be fairly easy for Ichika sense he and Charles had worked out an agreement a long time ago. For Simon, it was a different matter. "So, how was your dip in the bath house, Feli?" Tatenashi asked as he walked into the room.

"It was…interesting. Although, I couldn't exactly call it relaxing." He said, remembering his promise. "So, did the French girl come clean yet?" She asked, leaving him no room to dodge the question. And the fact that she was sitting in the middle of his bed, in nothing but her button up shirt and underwear gave him no other option than to play along with this game. "I don't know what you mean. The three of us sat there and had a nice conversation, between men." He responded, trying to deflect her suspicions away. And of course, it wouldn't be that easy. "Oh, I understand. She asked you to keep it a secret, didn't she? Did she offer to bribe you for your silence, hmm? Maybe a special favor?" she teased, the familiar glint coming to her eyes. _Goddamnit, woman, it's like you're freaking psychic._ "Okay, if I tell you, then you need to swear to me that it doesn't leave this room." Simon said, laying his bag down at the foot of his bed and looking her straight in the eye. He had learned that letting his gaze wander was one of the ways she got motivation for all the flirting she did. Once she nodded, he sat on the edge of his bed and explained what had happened. She appeared to be rather interested in the part where Ichika knew about this long before he did.

"Alright, before you try and spread any rumors, I can assure you that they weren't doing anything." Simon said, trying to squash what he knew would be a massive source of entertainment for the girl. "~If you say so~" she sang as she leapt over to her own bed and drew the covers over her. "And no sneaking into my bed to ravish me in my sleep, Feli." Simon just snorted in amusement and laid down himself. Tomorrow was going to be a rather interesting day.

* * *

The first day of the tournament finally rolled around, and Ichika and Simon were both sitting in the locker room, going over their plans one last time. "Okay, just remember that all you need to do is keep that crazy woman distracted while I deal with Houki." Simon said for what felt like the thousandth time. They had been having this debate so often that he knew exactly what each of them were going to say before they even said it. Ichika probably did, to, but he kept on like he felt that in needed to be said again. "Are you sure you don't want me to take Houki? You're not exactly a swordsman yourself, Simon." "No, if you two fight it will just be a drawn out battle that will force you to use your one-off too early." Simon responded, shaking his head. "We need to knock her out quickly so we can both focus on Laura. She is definitely the major threat of the two." "And how do you figure that?"

"I called the head researcher from the lab I worked at Saturday night, asking her about that barrier she used to stop me cold." Simon continued, "She only got back to me this morning. It's called an 'Active Inertia Canceller' and it's designed to do just what we saw, stop any inbound solids dead." Ichika took a moment to fully process that before he sighed and put his face in his hands. "Then how are we supposed to fight something that can stop all physical attacks?" Standing up and putting a hand on Ichika's shoulder, Simon said, "She can only deploy two of those damned things at a time. My fang bits already negate that advantage, but to be sure I want to have the both of us able to focus on her." Ichika just nodded, but he clearly still felt conflicted over the strategy they had to use. "Come on, man, it's the ones that fight smart that win. Leave all that 'honor' shit here and let's go." Simon said as he walked out to their launch bay. "Just don't let Houki hear you say that, she'll tear your ear off." Ichika replied as he followed.

As they entered the launch area, a thought occurred to Ichika. "Hey Simon, I never did see what your IS looks like in stand-by mode." Stopping besides the other catapult, he turned to face his friend. "Well, you have that nice wrist guard, very stylish by the way, and I have this." He said, motioning to the watch on his left wrist. Now that Ichika actually focused on it, he saw that it looked a lot more high-tech than any watch he'd ever seen. "Oh, is that it? I never would have guessed. I thought it was that pendant you have with you." At this, Simon's face clouded over slightly as he turned to look out into the stadium. "No, that was my sister's." That was all Ichika needed to hear to know to shut up. Anything regarding Simon's sister was something he and the others had agreed was strictly off-limits. Without another word, the two summoned there IS and launched into the stadium. As they landed in front of their opponents, Simon noted that Houki was using one of the Uchigane IS used for training. _Well, at least she's familiar with its weapon_ Simon thought as he noted that she only had the sword.

"I hope you're both ready to suffer." Laura said as she glared at the two of them. "Especially you, American, I have not forgotten what you did." "Oh, come on, it was a freaking joke! And besides, all you've been doing up until then is glare at Ichika and talk down to the rest of us." Simon shot back, taking his sword from the clamp on his back. "You had to see something like that coming. Or are you too arrogant to assume someone would retaliate?" Laura just stared at him, the murderous intent in her eye all too clear. Houki just stood there, a little confused as to what was going on since they had never really told her what Simon did to Laura's shower. Mainly because they all knew that the proud samurai girl wouldn't have approved. "The match will now begin. You have 30 minutes." They heard over the load speakers, and as soon as that ended Laura's cannon was trained on Simon and fired.

The blast caught him full in the chest and sent him reeling backwards as Ichika charged at Laura. Houki just blocked his blade and forced him back as Laura directed her aim at Ichika and fired again, not caring that Houki was caught in the blast, too. _Okay, she's not a team player. That should make this easier_ Simon thought as he let his wings unfold. Bringing his shield up in front of him, he triggered an Ignition Burst and slammed straight into Houki, carrying her away from the other two and shouting, "I got this one! You take care of the psycho!" Laura just continued trying to hit Ichika, but his superior speed allowed him to dodge the shots. Meanwhile, Simon had released Houki and stood between her and the other two fighters. Bringing his shield in front of him again with the sword held pointing over it, Simon said, "Now, you face me, samurai." She just growled before lunging at him, driving Simon into the defensive. It was all he could do to keep his shield up and blocking her strikes as it felt like she was coming at him from every direction.

 _Gotta time this perfectly_ he thought as he watched the pattern of her swings, looking for an opening. After spying one, he powered up his sword, the small teeth along the blade starting to spin like the teeth of a chainsaw, causing the blade edge to look like it was glowing orange. While the engine and the blade's sound were barely audible, anyone that knew what they were looking at would recognize the danger. Houki, unfortunately, wasn't one of those people as she brought her sword down in an overhead strike, trying to drive that blasted shield aside. Instead, Simon brought his own sword up to meet hers, and the wine of his sword cutting through the metal was clear enough for Houki to recognize the danger and back off. Looking at where the blades had met, she saw a sizable cut into the metal. Looking back at the boy, she reexamined his sword and detected the slight flicker in the light from its edge that showed the teeth moving. "Darn, I was hoping that would go clean through. Guess you have really sharp instincts, huh?" Simon said as he resumed his stance. _That boy is a lot more dangerous than he ever let's on_ Houki thought as she prepared to attack again. _Why didn't I realize that before now?_

Their battle was interrupted as Ichika was sent flying into Simon's back, sending the two boys into the ground. "What the hell, man? I'm working here." Simon said as he pushed Ichika off him. "You try controlling your flight after being shot in the face." Ichika shot back as he stood back up. After Simon got back to his feet, he saw a flash and managed to block the shot from Laura before he was forced to dodge another slash from Houki. _Damnit, this isn't working_ he thought as he let loose a pair of missiles from his shield, putting up a smoke screen so he and Ichika could regroup. "Lemme guess, she caught you in one of her AICs and shot you?" Simon said as he watched the cloud for movement. Ichika just nodded as he stood ready himself. Sure enough, Houki came charging through the smoke and slammed right into Ichika, immediately trading several blows with him. Before Simon could move to support him, another blast caught his shield and he turned to face Laura. "Damnit, German, stop doing that!" he shouted as she fired again.

Dodging the shot, he thought _okay, fuck this, time to go all in._ Coming to a stop, he triggered the clamps holding his shield in place and released it. Taking a two handed grip on his sword, he readied himself for the inevitable pain that this particular mode brought on. "I've only ever used my one-off once before, so you should feel honored." This drew the attention of Houki and Ichika, who weren't even aware that Simon had a one-off ability. Widening his stance and bringing the sword in front of him, he said, "From the ashes I will rise victorious." Ichika and Houki, as well as Cecilia and Rin who had been watching from the stands, immediately wondered what the heck the blonde was saying. That is, until they watched his IS transforming. Its colors shifted, the blue turning into a black and the green turning into a dark red. Several vents along the legs, arms and wings that previously were invisible opened up, and a red mist began to flow from them. Finally, the crystal on his chest plate turned bright red, and at this the mist turned into something that looked like flames. In fact, the entire suit looked like it was glowing and engulfed in flames.

"This is what I call my Phoenix Shift, and it will be the end of you, German!" Simon said as he leapt forward. Laura was clearly not prepared for this sudden change, though she still tried to bring her cannon to bear. However, Simon's speed was increased dramatically, and he was suddenly in her face and bringing his sword up in a slash before she could react, sending her flying back. Without so much as a pause, Simon pursued her, appearing behind her and slashing again to send her flying upwards before appearing _again_ above her and delivering a kick to her stomach. As she crashed into the ground, Ichika was sure that she was finished and turned his attention to Houki, who was still stunned at the sudden change in the blonde. Feeling guilty about this, he triggered his own one-off and slashed at her across the middle. Houki didn't even have time to block as her shield energy hit zero, although she looked rather pissed that Ichika would do something so dirty in a fight. "Sorry, Houki, just following Simon's instructions." he said as he turned to face the blonde as he landed. He had turned off his one-off, his IS returning to its blue and green pattern, and he looked a little ticked at having to reveal that particular ability.

Once he landed, however, he caught a shot to the back of his head, which shattered the back of his helmet and collar. Laura stood behind him, looking ready to kill him. Unfortunately, she may have just done that since Simon was kneeling on the ground clutching the back of his head. Triggering the release for the helmet and collar, Simon ripped them both off and threw them away and went back to clutching the back of his neck. Ichika could now see blood coming between his fingers, and he looked torn between furious that he'd been shot and in some serious pain. The fury seemed to win since Simon got back on his feet and he turned to face Laura. "You are going to pay for that one, bitch." He managed through gritted teeth as he grasped his sword again. Ichika took a moment to look at the back of Simon's neck and saw blood, but his hair was covering up where it was coming from. "Simon, are you sure you're going to be okay?" Simon just charged at the German, brandishing his sword. Ichika just sighed and followed him, prepared to back him up.

The boys quickly fell into the strategy they had come up with to defeat Laura; one of them moving in to draw attention while the other attacked her from another direction. They quickly managed to whittle her shields down to nothing. But, they should have known that victory wouldn't be that easy because the second she realized that she had lost, her IS began its own transformation, turning into a grey metal goo before reforming into a rather tall person with a sword, swallowing the German girl up in the process. The two boys immediately recognized a rough resemblance to Ichika's sister in its appearance, though they didn't have time to dwell on this as the look-alike swung at them with its sword, driving them back. While it made no move to advance just yet, the boys were wary of approaching it since they had no clue what they were facing. "So, any ideas?" Simon asked, feeling the adrenaline high he was riding starting to subside. Without breaking eye contact with it, Ichika asked, "Can't you use your fangs on it?" "No, the control system was fried in that attack." He responded.

Nodding, Ichika squared up with the machine. "Alright, I'll take it on." "Good…because I think I'm about done." Simon said as he started to notice his vision fading. The last thing he saw was Ichika turning and calling out to him, but he was already beyond the point of no return. Simon blacked out and collapsed to the ground, his IS destructing in response.

 **And so ends another chapter. I am a little hopeful that the hint I just dropped is enough for you to figure out what Simon meant about his fang bit control system, but I intend to explain what it is anyway, so don't worry if you haven't figured it out. Also, sorry for kind of brushing over Ichika's fight with Laura, but I always kind of found it anti-climactic. But, now that the introductions are out of the way, we can start to pick up the pace. Look forward to when the Gospel appears, cause that's when the shit is going to start flying towards the fan.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7; Recovery and Bonding

The first thing Simon noticed was a dull headache. As he came closer to consciousness, it grew into a throbbing pain that was all along his spine. He also noticed that he couldn't move his left arm, and that there was something warm on his face. As he cracked his eyes open, he was blinded by the sunlight coming in through the window. As his eyes adjusted he saw an IV in his right arm and some cords attached to his chest. Testing out his movement, he found that he still had feeling in his feet and his hands, although something was weighing down his left one. Turning his head, even though that was absolute agony, he saw that a certain blonde British girl had fallen asleep at his bed side, her fingers entwined with his and her head rested on his arm. _Well, that explains the lack of movement_ he thought as he smiled at the concern she was showing for him.

Deciding it would be better to spare her the embarrassment of being caught, he closed his eyes and groaned slightly, trying to pretend that he was only just now waking up. He felt the sudden jolt as she sat up and could imagine the look she was giving him. Opening his eyes again, he was still rather shocked to see her leaning over the bed and looking very concerned. "S-Simon? Are you okay?" she managed. Making a show of looking down at his legs, he responded, "Well, I can still feel my arms and legs, I'm not seeing double, and unless I'm suddenly speaking a different language and don't reali- Ouch!" He had been cut-off mid rant as Cecilia practically fell on top of him in a hug. "Thank goodness! I was so worried about you!" "Thanks for the concern, Cecilia," Simon managed, "But please don't break me again." She quickly fell back, blushing as she realized what she had been doing. "I-I mean we were all worried about you," she said, trying to salvage some of her dignity, "You didn't wake up for the longest time."

"Wait, how long have I been out?" he asked, suddenly alert. She just looked away, concerned that he would just get mad at what she had to say. "You were unconscious for two days. They had to call in a doctor from where you worked after the first day when they discovered…something." Although he was initially mad at the fact that he had been out for so long, he then thought about what she had said. He just looked down, clearly troubled. "Did they tell you?" he asked simply. "No. Only Ms. Orimura knows what they found, she was the one that called the doctor. What was it? She was clearly upset about it." Simon just refused to meet her eyes, still brooding over this particular blunder. _Why wasn't I paying more attention to Laura? Of course she would be tougher than that_ he scolded himself, feeling himself dropping deeper into a pit of self-loathing.

Before he could slide too much deeper, Chifuyu walked into the room and looked at the both of them. "Can you please give us a moment, Cecilia?" she asked, looking at the British girls with something akin to sympathy. She would have argued, but the use of her first name by her teacher was enough to convince her that this wasn't something she really needed to hear. Not yet, anyway, though she intended to drag whatever this secret was out of Simon before the week was over. After she left and closed the door, Chifuyu sat down next to the bed and focused on the boy in front of her. The blonde that was always kind and fun looked like he felt horrible about the whole situation, and the wrapping around his throat didn't help with the image. "So, would you like to explain why you have an implant? And before you try to lie to me, I didn't ask your doctor friend anything, and you don't have to tell me anything either. This is completely up to you."

The kindness in her voice was very apparent, and it just made him feel worse. His teacher, someone that he respected professionally and who was able to quickly put anyone in their place was concerned about offending him. Taking a deep breath, he sat up and said, "No, I don't mind. The implant was a personal choice I made to enhance my control over my bits. It's also why I can control ten so easily." "They informed you of the danger of having this in your head?" she asked, concerned that her student might have done something stupid without being fully informed, but he just nodded in agreement. "Well, I can't say that I approve, but this was your decision. Apparently the damage was mostly superficial, so the repairs were simple. You should be able to return to your room later today." She said as she got up to leave. "Ms. Orimura?" Simon called out, stopping her as she reached for the door knob. "Can you bring the others here? I think I should explain this to them, too." She just nodded and went into the hallway.

As she closed the door, she turned and saw that Cecilia was still waiting by the door, as was everyone else from Simon's circle of friends. She was mildly surprised to see Laura there as well, but it was probably more so that she could be with Ichika than out of an interest to see the other boy. She still couldn't believe that she had kissed her brother in front of the whole class like that, but Laura was always a little unaware of her actions in public. "You can go see him, just don't excite him too much." Chifuyu said as she walked away. Now that she had spoken with Simon, she intended to get more details about this implant from the doctor, a Mrs. Tamari Kendrick. The others practically barreled through the door, eager to see if their friend was alright. Simon just smiled as they gathered around his bed and noticed the various levels of relief. Cecilia and Rin were ecstatic that he was finally conscious, while Ichika, Houki and Charles (now dressed as a girl, so that finally came out) looked rather happy but kept their distance out of respect for his condition. He was rather surprised that Laura had decided to show up, and more so when she walked up to his side.

"I apologize for injuring you, American." She said simply, to which Simon just smiled. "I wasn't exactly nice to you either, so let's just call it even and start over. Agreed?" he asked, extending his hand. After considering it briefly, Laura took it and shook. After releasing her hand, Cecilia was right next to him with a determined look. "Now then, you will explain exactly what happened. What did they find?" she demanded, trying to look stern and serious. Glancing at everyone else, he saw the same looks of interest and just sighed. _Well, this had to come out at some point_. "I call it my Neural Interface," he explained, "It provides me with a direct link to my IS' targeting systems in order to enhance control over my remote weapons. In layman's terms, it's a way to plug myself directly into my suit for better control of my fang bits." He just sat there and waited for them to respond, but they were all clearly stunned about this. Rin was finally the one that broke the silence. "You let them put a plug in the back of your head?" she asked. Simon just nodded, waiting for any of them to explode on him. Hell, in hindsight he could completely understand why someone would consider this a stupid choice.

"And what about that shift you used on me?" Laura said, changing the subject after she sensed the tension in the room. "It's called the Phoenix Shift. Basically, it's where my IS' movement speed gets kicked into overdrive. I can move faster than any other IS, but the increased heat generation starts to become risky after a while." He explained. "How long is a while?" Houki asked, finally speaking up. After thinking about it for a minute, doing the math in his head, Simon responded, "Between 5 and 7 minutes, depending on the load." After another stretch of silence, Ichika spoke up. "Well, I'm sure you'd like to rest. I'll see you back at the room." "You and Charles aren't sharing anymore?" Simon asked, causing the two to blush slightly and Houki and Laura to glare at him. "W-Well, after she re-introduced herself to everyone, Chifuyu decided it would be better that we go back to sharing a room." he answered, trying very hard not to look at anyone. "Alright, I'll be up whenever I stop feeling drowsy." Simon told him, trying to spare the bluenette any further embarrassment. As they all turned to leave, Cecilia quietly slipped away from the group and went back to sit with Simon.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked after everyone else had left. "For the last time, princess, I'm fine. Just a little sore is all." Simon said, causing her to blush again at the nick-name he had given her. Although, truth be told, she was starting to grow rather fond of it. "Would you mind if I stayed here?" she asked, her cheeks staying a little red. Smiling at her, he replied, "I don't mind at all." The next few hours were them discussing various things. Simon finally learned what happened to Cecilia's parents, and that she had been the one protecting her family's fortune for a number of years now. Simon also explained to her how his implant helped with control over his bits, although he did not recommend her getting one since the surgery and recovery took the better part of two months. At about 5 o'clock, Simon decided that he was ready to try and walk again. Unfortunately, his body wasn't as willing as his mind.

"Ow! God damnit!" he said as he tried to stand and felt a lance of pain go up his spine. Cecilia immediately put her arm under his shoulder and helped him hobble a few steps. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't have to force yourself." She said, all concern. "No, if I stay in that bed much longer I'll probably go nuts. Never liked hospitals." He replied, taking another step and feeling less pain than before. "But, this is just the school's infirmary." She said, smiling a little. Simon just grunted as the two made their way out. When they reached the dorms, Simon leaned on the wall for a second to rest. Being out cold for two days didn't leave a person in very good condition for a walk. The back pain wasn't helping, but he was learning to ignore it. "Ready for the next bit, Simon?" Cecilia asked. He just nodded and let her support some of his weight again. While it was a little humiliating, he wasn't about to complain and send the British girl off. This was actually the most time they had spent alone together since they had met, and there was a part of him that didn't quite want that to end just yet.

When they finally made it to his room, he turned around to face her fully. "Thank you for the help, Cecilia." "You are most welcome, sir knight." She said with a slight smile, "But you'd better believe I will ask for something in return for this." Simon just laughed softly, amused that she had decided to turn the 'princess' nickname around on him. "Well, so long as it's not something too outlandish, I would not mind returning this favor." They just stood there, looking at each other for few seconds, neither one of them wanting to end the moment quite yet. As Cecilia turned to leave, Simon took a quick step forward. Before she could do anything, he planted a quick kiss on her forehead before turning and heading into his room. After he closed the door, her brain finally started to work again after shorting out there for a second. _He-he just kissed me_ she thought again and again as she walked back to the elevator. _He likes me._

In the dorm room, Simon was trying to steady his pounding pulse. He kept running that scene over and over again, unable to believe that he had done something so impulsive. _But she didn't try and stop me_ he thought as he walked into the room. Ichika looked up from the magazine he was reading and immediately noticed that Simon was flustered. "Hey, what happened? You look like Rin just sucker-punched you." He said, getting up and walking over to face him. "I...uh… don't know what happened just now, but I should probably expect to hear about this tomorrow." "Why, what happened?" Ichika asked, looking confused as hell about what his friend was saying. Without answering him, Simon walked over to his bed and collapsed. The scene in the hallway had left him emotionally drained, and he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

After a few days of light work, Simon found himself back at 100%. He resumed his usual workouts, and even managed to get some sparing in with Houki, Ichika and Rin. Laura and Charlotte (formerly known as Charles) would show up as well, although Simon got the feeling that they were more interested in showing off for Ichika than actually practicing. Cecilia would join them, as well, but she seemed a little nervous around Simon. Neither of them had mentioned the scene in the hallway to each other, to say nothing of anyone else, but Simon was pretty sure that was the source of her nervousness. After a particularly long fight where Simon had taken on Ichika and Rin on a bet, he found himself out of breath and in need of a break. Destructing his IS, he walked over to the nearest wall and sat down, taking a shot from the water bottle he had brought.

Cecilia joined him after a short while, sitting close to him, but not too close to be invading on his personal space. The others continued their practice, although Rin and Charlotte payed attention to the two blondes. They had worked out a while ago that the two were a little more than friends, and that they weren't quite aware of where things were going. "So, are you doing all right? Those two didn't go easy on you." Cecilia began, trying to break the awkwardness that had surrounded them. "Yeah. I get the feeling those two were trying to force me into a Phoenix Shift." He said as he took another pull from the bottle. "Why would you install something so dangerous on your IS?" she asked, turning and looking at him. Simon just kept looking straight ahead as he answered. "Well, there's a reason it requires a command phrase to activate. Also, I never intended it for combat, it just happens to work well with my fighting style." "Then what was it intended for?"

Taking a moment to think how to phrase his answer, he turned and looked at Cecilia. The look she was giving him was more than just curiosity. She clearly wanted to believe there was something more here than just two friends talking. "I intended it as a means of quickly escaping a superior force, or coming to the aid of people I care about." He said, placing his hand close to hers and looking back at the field. "And am I…?" she asked, afraid what the answer might be. "Do you even have to ask?" he said, turning back to her and finally placing his hand on top of hers. Cecilia smiled back and scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "I was concerned there for a moment." She said, smiling. Right now, she wanted to savor this moment as long as she could. Simon did as well, even though he was blushing fairly badly. The others just continued their practices, although Rin and Charlotte were both grinning fiendishly. It was about damned time they stopped beating around the bush with each other.

 **Apologies for the short chapter, but this is what I could manage without trying to rush much of anything. This will also be my last update before heading back to school, and I expect a fairly hectic workload. I will definitely try and update this story as I am able. So, finally got the beginning of a romantic story line between these two, and I'm going to regret what happens with it later. And yes, that's a hint that things are going to get a little darker. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8; The First Date

"You want me to what?" Simon asked Cecilia. A month had passed since the fight with Laura and its aftermath. Simon and Cecilia had grown closer in that time, but they still weren't technically an 'item.' There was also a frustrating of lack of progress with Ichika, since he still seemed unwilling, or unable, to try and pick one of the three girls competing over him, despite Simon's best efforts to nudge him towards Houki. While Laura and Charlotte were both nice girls, he still felt there was something more between him and the samurai girl. Rin had apparently given up on the idea of winning him over and settled with staying as good friends with them.

But, back to the matter at hand, they had just learned that their class would be taking a trip to a beach nearby for a vacation. And apparently Cecilia didn't have a swimsuit, hence the reason she wanted to go shopping with Simon, something that would undoubtedly turn into a date. Glancing at Ichika and Charlotte, who were sitting next to him in the cafeteria, he saw a grin on Ichika's face and a look from Charlotte that said _go on._ They had had a light day of classes and been let out early, which left plenty of time left for shopping. Looking back at Cecilia, he said, "Alright, give me a couple minutes to get ready. I'll meet you at the train station, okay?" She just smiled and walked off to prepare herself. "What did I just agree to?" Simon asked as he turned back to the other two. Ichika just started to laugh, and soon Charlotte was, too. Glaring at them indignantly, Simon just waited for them to stop since anything he said or did now would just make it worse.

Charlotte was the first to compose herself, and she looked squarely at the other blonde. "You just agreed to go and have a good time with her. Is that so wrong?" she asked. "N-no, not really. I'm more concerned about what one of _you_ might try." He responded, feeling his cheeks start to warm up. "And why would we try and sabotage your date, Simon?" Ichika asked, amused that he could finally give the other boy grief about romance for a change. "I'm more worried about the others, actually. We haven't seen them since class was let out." This caused the other two to stop and think for a moment. Houki, Rin and Laura were usually with them, to, so since they weren't here it did beg the question; where were they? After some more thought, Charlotte offered a solution. "Why don't Ichika and I go look for them? We can keep them busy until you leave." "You'd run interference for me?" Simon asked. They just nodded, and Simon took a moment to be thankful he had such good friends.

Unknown to any of them, Rin had been listening in from a discreet distance, and she rushed off to prepare herself to follow them. She didn't have any real romantic feelings for Simon, but she did feel like he was a kind of older brother and she felt protective of him for that. _I'll just follow them and make sure it goes smoothly_ she thought. Meanwhile, Simon had returned to his room after leaving Ichika and Charlotte to go looking for their other friends. Picking out a pair of loose jeans, he put them on with a plain t-shirt and his jacket. After making sure that his IS' standby was still secure on his wrist (just in case) he made his way to the train station. Sometimes, being on an island was a real pain. Anytime they needed to go to the mainland for anything, it was either take the one train off the island, or try and hitch a ride with one of the boats. They would have used there IS, but their activation was monitored and any use outside of the stadiums was not a very good idea.

When Simon arrived at the platform, he saw that Cecilia had definitely dressed for the occasion. She was wearing a blue and white dress, a sunhat and carrying what he assumed was a purse that didn't look too expensive, but was clearly more than just a mundane one. In short, she looked beautiful, and he could feel himself blushing again as he walked up behind her. "Isn't that a little much?" he asked, startling her. She turned around and glared at him. "I will have you know that this is how I normally dress, thank you very much." She said, trying to sound indignant and failing. "Relax, I'm just messing with you," he replied, smiling, "Actually, you look good." Rather than responding with another outburst or rant, as he expected, she blushed slightly and looked away. Hearing the train approaching, he moved to stand next to her and waited. "So, are we just going for swimwear, or is there something else you wanted to look for?" he asked, trying to keep them from falling into an awkward silence.

"Well, there's a clothing store that I've heard is quite good." She replied, glancing at him. He just nodded in agreement as the train stopped and they boarded it. Unknown to them, a particular Chinese girl got on the last car just as the doors were closing. Their ride to the mainland was mostly silence as they admired the scenery, although they both remained aware of how close they were sitting to each other. After arriving at the mainland, they decided to take a walk past the other shops on the long way. Taking turns admiring the various clothes and foods, Simon marveled at how bustling the place was considering this wasn't even a major city. Arriving at the store, he turned a few shades darker as he realized what he was there for. Cecilia took her time trying on several swim suits and posing for him, asking for his opinion. The first two went rather well, but as she started to experiment with some of the more, shall we say risky, swimsuits, he started to feel his brain frying.

Finally, after she tried on a plain blue bikini, Simon decided to call it. "Why not get that one? It looks rather good, and it matches your eyes." Smiling and blushing slightly, she walked over to the cashier, although she made it a point to buy one of the other ones that had made him blush rather well, too. They had then decided to take a break at a nearby café before continuing with their shopping. "Wasn't there any swimsuits in there you wanted to try?" Cecilia asked. "What I have works fine. I'm not that stylish," Simon said as he drank his soda, "Besides, most of the men's suits were too close to speedos for my taste, and that's not going to happen, princess." She just blushed at this, and mentally cursed him for it sense she was looking forward to getting him to try at least one of them. Finishing their drinks, Simon left some money on the table and they continued to window shop.

Rin had, up to this point, kept her distance from the two. She had even avoided going into the store for fear of being caught. _They seem to be enjoying themselves so far_ she thought, and hoped that Simon wouldn't do something to screw this up. He could be very kind at times, but like Ichika he could also be infuriatingly dense. That he didn't see the ways Laura looked at him occasionally was something that puzzled her, since he clearly knew how everyone else felt about him and Ichika. After browsing a few more shops, they walked down to one of the water-front parks and sat looking out over the ocean. Cecilia scooted closer to Simon after a bit and rested on his shoulder, saying, "I had fun today." He just nodded in agreement as he put his arm around her, determined to enjoy this moment for all it was worth. And the plan was working, too, until something landed in front of them.

Crashed would be a better word, the shock wave blasting the bench they were sitting on over and sending the two tumbling. _What the hell could this be?_ Rin wondered as she rushed up to help them. As they recovered from the shock, Simon saw that it was another IS, and like the Ogre, its design was unique. The upper part was clearly human and feminine, but from the waist down it looked more like a spider, with eight legs and a large abdomen with orange and black stripes. "What the hell is this?" he asked, moving to shield Cecilia as the unknown turned to him. Before he could summon his IS to defend himself, the spider shot out what looked like webbing, tying him up in moments and letting him drop to the ground. Cecilia had brought up her own IS and immediately stood over Simon, her rifle raised and trained on the thing that dared to attack her almost-boyfriend. By this point, Rin had joined them and was working to get Simon free from the webs.

"Rin, when did you get here?" Simon asked, surprised that she was here at all. "Shut up, idiot, and quit moving so much." She replied before covering her ears as Cecilia engaged the spider IS. She did manage to lure it away from the two, giving Rin some time to free Simon. The spider was tougher than they first thought; each of its legs had some find of weapon. Two were clearly for restraint, since they only seemed to fire that sticky webbing. But the rest used energy weapons, and two even had flamethrowers on them. It was all Cecilia could do to not get cooked, since the damned thing wasn't letting her get any distance on it. After 3 agonizing minutes, Rin managed to free Simon and they both summoned there IS before rushing to back Cecilia up. Simon loosed four of his fangs while Rin opened up with her Shock cannons, forcing the thing to back away.

Landing next to Cecilia, Simon raised his sword and prepared for another attack. "What the hell are you, and who sent you?" he demanded, taking a step forward. It just stood there, looking at the three pilots for a minute before turning away and flying out over the water. Before they could move to pursue it, the spider dropped into the water and was gone. "Anyone else think that was too easy?" Simon asked, but was ignored. "Good riddance." Rin said as she destructed her IS and stared out over the water. Cecilia and Simon followed suit, although after he did he walked up behind Rin and lightly smacked the back of her head. "Hey, what was that for, idiot?" she demanded, whirling around to face him. "That was for spying on us a second time." He said before breaking into a smile, "But thanks for the help." Trying to stay mad was beyond her ability, and Rin just ended up smiling back. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't do something stupid." She said before walking off.

"Did you know she was there the whole time?" Cecilia asked, slightly embarrassed that they had been spied on, again. "Not until she came up to untie me." He responded, turning to look at the crater that the unknown had made. "You think Chifuyu is going to blame us for this?" "I cannot imagine how. We weren't doing anything to attract it." "You know," he began, turning to look at her, "she's going to ask us to tell her _exactly_ what we were doing when it arrived, right?" Cecilia just turned red at the thought of describing her date to her teacher. Yeah, it was going to be an interesting conversation.

* * *

Their conversation with Chifuyu, more of an interrogation, wasn't as humiliating as they had both assumed it would be. She was less interested in the personal details as she was in the mysterious IS that had attacked them. "I don't know what else I can tell you," Simon said, leaning back and clearly ready for this to be done and over with, "It landed, wrapped me up in some kind of web and then proceeded to fight Cecilia." "It's that second part that's concerning me, Simon." she said, all seriousness. "The fact that it took the time to tie you up rather than fight you is telling." They just sat there staring at their teacher, not really following. Sighing, she explained, "From what you tell me, it could have easily subdued _both_ of you long before you could use your IS. Instead, it focused solely on you, Simon. Can you tell me why?"

Thinking for a moment, he responded, "Jealousy?" causing Cecilia to blush and Chifuyu to glare daggers at him. "Could you try not being a smartass for five minutes?" she asked, receiving a shrug as an answer. "Ms. Orimura, does this mean that the class trip is cancelled?" Cecilia asked, trying to change to subject. "Well, while I would like to after this event, I can't well punish the entire class for something that wasn't your fault." She said, "Just promise me that you will both be careful." "Yes, ma'am," they both said as they left Chifuyu's office. After they were safely out of ear-shot, Cecilia turned to Simon and asked, "Do you think it was targeting you specifically?" "No clue," he said as he continued out of the building and towards the dorms, "But it won't get that lucky a second time." "Guess it was a good thing Rin followed us then." Cecilia said, snickering at how Simon's face turned pink at that. It felt better than she thought it would to be able to tease him back without worrying about embarrassing herself. They parted a little awkwardly at the elevators, promising that they would do this again.

When Simon finally made it back to his room, it was to be met with the sight of Tatenashi toying with Ichika, who looked confused and embarrassed since all the girl was wearing was her swimsuit. She had currently pinned him in a corner, asking him how it looked and leaning towards him rather suggestively. "The fuck did I just walk in on?" Simon asked, giving Ichika an opening to dive to the side and get Simon's bed between him and the possibly psychotic Russian. Tatenashi turned to him and giggled, spreading her fan in front of her. "What's wrong, Feli? Jealous that he's getting all the attention?" she asked, walking over to him and swaying her hips. "Damnit, woman, I thought I asked you to quit that!" He said as he backed up towards the door, only to bump into someone with a rather large chest. _Please God, don't let this be Cecilia_ he thought as he turned around. While it wasn't her, it was almost as bad. Houki was standing there, looking between the three of them, stunned and blushing a bit. "Uh, I can explain," he began before Houki exploded about the indecency of this and let loose on the two boys with her wooden sword. Needless to say, there was much pain that night.

* * *

The next day they were waiting at the station with their class, both of them nursing numerous bruises they had received from Houki. "Damn, your girlfriend hits hard." Simon said, rubbing a particularly sore spot on the back of his head. Ichika just turned a light pink and mumbled something under his breath. Before Simon could ask him to repeat it, the girls walked up and joined them, Houki still looking rather pissed off. While he would have loved to try and smooth things over, bringing up last night with Cecilia around was probably not the wisest choice. The decision, however, was not his to make. "So, what was a second-year doing in your room last night, Ichika?" Rin asked, the smile on her face clearly borrowed from some devil. "It's not like that," Ichika said, trying to avoid Houki's glare, "Besides, I think she was there looking for Simon."

 _Ichika, you traitor_ he thought as Cecilia joined in the glaring, her gaze turning on Simon. "What was that?" she asked, her words causing both boys to have their blood run cold. "I-it wasn't like that, honest!" he said, trying to back away from her, "She was just my temporary roommate, and we did start to get along-" "Oh, so it's like that, huh, Feli?" Rin asked, clearly enjoying herself. "Feli? She calls you Feli?!" Cecilia asked, stalking up to the blonde. _You will pay for this, Rin_ he thought as Cecilia summoned a laser bit. Before it could go much further, the train arrived and the two boys darted on, thankful for the distraction. They made it a point to share a seat, trying to avoid the two girl's wrath. Rin sat in front of them with Charlotte, laughing to herself. As the train started to move, Simon leaned forward and whispered, "You will pay for that one, small fry." She ignored him, content that she had won that particular one.

The ride was thankfully uneventful, although Simon's attempts to talk with Houki and Cecilia met with failure. They clearly needed some time to cool off. Sighing, he grabbed his IPod from his bag and brought up his music. Starting up one of his longer playlists, Simon leaned back and closed his eyes and tried to nap, since he hadn't exactly slept well last night. His dream, however, was not one that he would enjoy.

* * *

" _All systems green, Gospel ready for launch." Sarah said, the excitement in her voice clear, even through the com link. Simon just smiled at his sister's image on the screen. Truth be told, he was nervous as hell about this test flight. It would be the first time the Gospel was out of the lab, and there were a number of things that could go wrong. Turning to the monitor in front of him, he verified that all of its systems were in the green. He nodded at the test overseer, who turned to the monitor and said, "Copy that, Gospel, you are clear for launch."_

 _With a whoop, Sarah triggered the catapult, launching into the test arena and immediately taking flight._ At least the flight system works fine _Simon thought as he tried to divide his attention between his status screen and the observation window. What he wouldn't give to be out there with her, flying around in one of the most advanced pieces of technology ever designed. He had already made it a point to meet the inventor, Tabane Shinonono, before he died. The Overseer was directing Sarah through a series of obstacles, testing to make sure the Gospel was as maneuverable as they needed it to be._

" _Alright, Sarah, we're going to bring up the training dummies. Let's test out those energy weapons." He said, gesturing to another controller to trigger the target drones. Simon turned to the Overseer, confused. "Sir, I thought this was just a test flight?" "Not anymore. The Director wants to know that this thing's weapons are up to snuff." "But, we haven't finished the calibration of that system." Simon protested, standing up and facing him fully. "Either do your job or excuse yourself, Felix. This is happening." The Overseer said, turning his attention back to the field. Damnit, why won't they listen to him?_

 _Simon sat back down and tried to return to his duties, but his mind was plagued with a host of concerns. However, Sarah was progressing through the targets rather well; her shots where all on target and had the power required to blow the drones away. He began to think everything was going to be alright._ They wouldn't clear it for weapons testing if it wasn't ready _he thought,_ they must have done work on the system while I was away _. Suddenly, part of his screen started to flash, grabbing his attention. One of the capacitors in the right arm was showing fluctuations, flickering in and out of the yellow, but it was enough to make Simon concerned._

 _Triggering his own com link, he said, "Sarah, easy off the particle beam for a moment, we got a fluctuation here." The Overseer walked over to Simon, looking at the screen and frowning. "Does this constitute a danger?" he asked, his voice showing a slight amount of concern. "I don't think so, but-" "Then we continue." He said, turning away and ordering her to resume the test. Simon tried to protest, saying that_ any _fluctuation in a prototype could be hazardous, but he was again ignored. Simon was trying to come up with a way to stop the test when several of the warning lights began to flash, setting off an alarm._

" _What's happening?" the Overseer asked, turning to him. "It's a cascading overload. The fail-safes aren't responding!" Simon said as he felt himself start to panic. Activating his com, he tried to warn his sister. "Sarah! You need to deactivate that IS! Force a shutdown, now!" She started to respond when the link cut out. They crew in the observation bay watched in horror as a chain reaction began on the suit. It was like watching firecrackers go off as parts of the suit began to overload and explode. Sarah was thrown around by the force of the explosions, which were becoming stronger with each detonation as the power had fewer places to go. The com link finally reconnected, but all they got was a pain-filled scream before it cut out again. Finally, the IS detonated in a large explosion, at which point Simon finally found his voice again._

" _Sarah!"_

* * *

Simon woke with a start, shooting upright and nearly head-butting Rin, who had been leaning over her seat and talking with Ichika. "Watch it, idiot." Rin said, though she looked more concerned than angry. Ichika did, to, asking, "Bad dream?" Shaking his head to clear it, Simon muttered, "You could say that." before he leaned back and closed his eyes again. Sensing that he didn't want to discuss it, Rin and Ichika started talking again, making plans for what to do first once they arrived. Simon, meanwhile, was brooding over his dream. It was always a little different each time; sometimes they would listen to him and he could avoid the whole situation. Other times it would be much worse; he would find that the com link would stay connected the whole time, allowing him to hear her pain as the IS exploded.

While he knew that most of these dreams were just his mind playing with the memory, this particular one was close enough to real events to leave him shaken. Leaning forward and rubbing his face to try and shake the feeling, he repeated the promise he had made to himself after that event. _I will never let that happen again_ he swore for what was probably the hundredth time. Opening his eyes, he noticed Cecilia staring at him and looking concerned. "Something wrong, Simon?" she asked. "Nothing is wrong, just didn't get enough sleep last night." He said. "Oh? And I wonder why that is, Feli?" Rin said, starting the glaring up again.

 **I know I said it would become an AU with the introduction of the Silver Gospel, but I couldn't help myself. Also, enjoy the massive teaser there with the dream. Just a taste of how bad things might become.**

 **Anyway, I apologize for the long wait, but the last people that had my dorm room fucked up the Ethernet jacks, and as a result I had got to do without an internet connection for a while. Decided to take the time to do a rewrite on the previous material to correct some grammar and improve the flow, so if you notice a change, that's the reason.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9; The Silver Gospel

They had been booked in a tradition Japanese-style hotel, with paper walls and everything. Once they had arrived at the hotel, everyone quickly checked into their rooms and changed. Simon noted that his room was rather close to where Cecilia was staying, and briefly wondered if that was Chifuyu playing at matchmaking. _Like she would ever try something like that_ he thought as he grabbed his towel and walked down to the beach. Not too surprisingly, everyone was wearing some kind of bikini, and most of them looked rather good if he was to be honest. Noticing where his friends had set up, he walked over and laid his towel out. However, the second he sat down, someone decided to bounce a beach ball off his head. Turning around, he saw Rin sticking her tongue out at him as she ran off. "You will pay for that, shrimp!" Simon yelled as he picked the ball up and gave chase. Rin just laughed as he tried, and failed, to hit her back. Their game lasted for a little while before Simon accidentally pegged Ichika in the head, causing Rin to fall over laughing.

"Sorry, man." Simon said. However, Ichika wasn't about to just let that go. Picking up the ball, he started giving chase to both of them, promising pay-back. Simon finally managed to slip away when Laura showed up looking like a mummy. Walking down to the surf, he decided that this was the perfect time for a swim. Charlotte joined him after she had unwrapped a blushing Laura, drifting closer to Simon as he floated in one of the calmer areas in the inlet. "So, how is it going with Cecilia?" She asked, taking advantage of their privacy. She hadn't forgotten that this boy was willing to help her, no questions asked, right after finding out she had been lieing to him. "I can't really say right now," Simon said, "I think she's still mad about Tatenashi's visit the other night." "She does care about you, Simon. She wouldn't have been so mad if she didn't." she said, trying to cheer him up.

"What about you? Made any progress with Ichika?" he asked, turning to look at her. She blushed slightly at that, but managed to keep it from getting too bad. "I'm not too sure, either. I think he's still a little confused about what to do when it comes to girls." she responded after a bit. Simon just laughed at this, thinking _yep, that makes sense_. "Well, if we're telling the truth, then I should tell you that I've been trying to nudge him towards Houki." He said, looking away and nervous as hell that she would react badly. When he finally gathered the courage to look at her, she had a sad smile on her face as she was looking back at the beach. Cecilia, Houki and Ichika were all lying down on their towels while Rin was messing with Laura in the surf.

"I know." She replied after a while. "Wait, you know?" he asked, stunned, "and you're not mad?" "It's okay, Simon. If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened by now." She said, turning back to him. "I mean, he saw me naked after all. But he remained a gentleman about it and kept a respective distance." Simon just nodded at this, but in his head he was freaking out. _He saw her naked? THAT'S what he meant by 'surprised?'_ "Now that I think about it," he said, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice, "Yeah, as far as an opening to a relationship goes, that would be a pretty obvious one." Charlotte just smiled, knowing full well her friend wasn't nearly as calm as he looked. "I won't lie, though," she continued, turning back to face the beach, "I do still love him. But, I am not sure that I'm the one he's interested in."

Deciding to let the matter go rather than pursue what was clearly a painful topic for her, they floated there for a while before returning to the beach. The rest of the afternoon was spent on an impromptu volleyball tournament and a barbeque. While they were waiting for the food to cook, Simon sat next to Cecilia, deciding now would be a good time to try and clear up any misunderstandings.

"She's just a friend." He began, knowing full well that she would know who he meant. Still, her face darkened and she looked away, clearly still annoyed at him. Sighing, he continued, "We agreed to just be friends, so there's no need for jealousy, princess. Besides, she was tormenting Ichika, too." Finally facing him, the look she had was part hopeful, and part hurt. That look, more than anything, made his heart ache that she would feel betrayed over something so stupid.

Instead of waiting for a response, he put one arm around her and pulled her next to him. After a bit she put her own arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "I was almost concerned there." She said so quietly that he could barely hear it. Instead of paying attention to how some of the students were whispering about the two of them, he leaned his own head on hers and decided to just enjoy the moment. They enjoyed some delicious fish and had a wonderful evening of talk and laughter, the tension of the last few weeks disappearing completely.

* * *

After they had returned to their rooms for the night, Cecilia waited until the lights were out to sneak out of her room. She had decided on the beach that this was going to be the moment where she would take things a bit further with Simon. Creeping down the hallway, she made her way to Simon's room and took a moment to be sure it was his. While the girls had to pair up in their rooms, the boys got a reprieve this time and got separate rooms. As she slid the door open, she saw that the lights were off and he was lying asleep on his bed roll on the floor. Tiptoeing to the side of the bed, she was about to lean down when he spoke up.

"This is rather bold, isn't it?" he asked, turning to face her and leaning up on one arm. How he had known she was there when she had been so quiet, Cecilia would never know. Instead, she sat down and said, "I thought this would be a good time for us to talk alone." "At 10:30?" he asked, the skepticism in his voice clear. Though he couldn't see because of the lack of light, he knew she was blushing rather badly. "I-I…..um, well…you…" she stammered, trying to salvage some of the situation. Sighing, he reached up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down so that she was lying facing him, their faces inches apart. "Don't expect me to do anything." He said as he spread the cover over her.

Not trusting her voice, Cecilia just nodded before scooting closer to Simon and wrapping her arms around his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her forehead while she laid there, trying very hard to fight down the blush. While not what she had fully intended, this situation was close enough and she decided to take the most from it. Before either of them drifted off to sleep, she tilted her head up and brushed her lips against Simon's briefly. Answering the unspoken question, he pulled her in closer and brought their lips together, relishing the kiss that he had wanted for a while now. Finally breaking off after what felt like an eternity to breathe, Cecilia brought her head down and nestled into his chest, content she had gotten most of what she had come for.

* * *

The next morning, Simon woke up to a rather flowery smell, and it took him a while to place it. When he had fully woken up, he remembered the other night and looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. She was still out cold, her mouth slightly open and a peaceful look on her face. If he could freeze this moment in time, he would have done it in a heartbeat. Instead, he carefully separated from her and left the room to organize his thoughts. He had a pretty good idea why she had come to visit him, and if he stayed in that room, looking at her, he probably would have lost what was left of his self-control. Taking a deep breath of the morning air, he noticed that Houki was already awake and staring at something in the garden.

Walking up behind her, he saw it was a pair of mechanical rabbit ears in the ground with a sign that said "Pull this, Houki." "What the heck is that?" he asked, genuinely confused. Houki just turned and walked away, saying, "Just ignore it." Watching her leave, he couldn't help but wonder at the rabbit ears. _Maybe it doesn't matter who does it_ he thought as he kneeled down and grabbed onto them. They came out of the ground easier than he would have thought, and he saw they were made to be worn like a hair band, although who would wear one was beyond him. It was at that point that he noticed a slight whistling. Looking around, he saw that no one else was near him, so he decided to look up just in time to see a large orange object plummeting towards him. "What the f-?" was all he managed before it landed in front of him, the shock wave throwing him back.

Once he could stand again, he saw that a massive carrot had landed in front of him. Before his brain could even register that properly, it split in two and a rather cheery girl jumped out. "Surprise! I got you again, Ho-Chan." She said, looking very proud of her entrance. "Oh, she's not here. I better activate my Houki tracker." At this, the mechanical rabbit ears on her head, a surprising twin of the pair Simon was holding, swiveled and pointed in the direction that Houki had left. Without even taking notice of the boy in front of her, the girl took off after Houki. "…what the hell just happened?" Simon asked aloud after his brain had finally caught up. At this point, Ichika came up behind him and noticed the large open carrot and the rabbit ears in Simon's hand.

"Uh, Simon?" he began, walking up behind him, "What is that, and why are you holding rabbit ears?" Tossing the ears aside, he responded, "I don't even know where to begin. Let's just go eat while I try and forget this." After they had sat down to eat, Cecilia walked in and joined them, looking rather pleased with herself. Before either of the boys could greet her, Rin and Charlotte whisked her away for a private conversation. "This won't go well, for either of us." Simon predicted as he continued to eat his breakfast. "Why is that?" Ichika asked, puzzled. "If I tell you, you need to swear to me that it stays between us unless I say otherwise." Simon said, trying to look serious. After he had nodded, Simon explained, carefully, the events of last night. Ichika did a spit-take at the part where they kissed, clearly surprised that they had gone so far.

"And you think that's what they're asking her?" he asked after Simon had finished. "Well, they're not swapping recipes, I can tell you that much." Before they could go any further, Chifuyu walked into the room and announced, "I need all the personal IS users to meet me on the beach in 15 minutes. The rest of you are free to explore the resort." "Oh great, what now?" Simon asked, annoyed. Ichika just shrugged as they got up to get ready. They both noticed how the girls were glancing at Simon with rather fiendish looks, so Cecilia had clearly told them her version of the story. _I won't hear the end of this one for a_ long _time_ Simon thought as he left the room.

Once they had assembled on the beach, Simon noticed that Houki had joined them, which was odd. "Ms. Orimura, why is Houki here? She doesn't have a personal IS" Cecilia said, taking note as well of the new addition. "That's because she's getting her IS today. Now, if only she would show up." Chifuyu said, looking around for someone. The pilots were a little puzzled at this until a girl launched herself at Chifuyu from the cliffs above, only to be stopped dead by a raised hand to the face. Simon noticed that it was the same crazy girl from this morning. "Ow, Chifu-Ni, that hurts. You're always so mean." She said as she made another attempt to hug the woman, only to meet failure again. "Stop being childish and introduce yourself, Tabane. I don't have time for your games." She replied, looking stern.

With a huff, the woman turned and said, "Well, I'm the fabulous Tabane Shinonono! Super genius and inventor of the IS!" Everyone else took a moment to process that. Finally, it was Simon that spoke up. "You mean to tell me this is Tabane? The world-renowned genius?" he asked, with more than a bit of skepticism in his voice. At this, Tabane walked up and stared right into his face, looking serious for the first time. "I know you. You're that American boy with a plug in the back of his head." She said, leaning in closer and looking him up and down. "I only have one question for you." She paused at that point, causing Simon to gulp and everyone else to glance at Tabane, concerned about what she might mean.

Before anyone could stop her, she was suddenly hugging Simon and saying, "You have GOT to let me take a look at that interface, Si-Kun!" Simon was at a loss for words, completely caught off guard, while everyone else was laughing their heads off, except for Chifuyu who looked annoyed that Tabane wasn't taking this seriously, and Cecilia who looked pissed that another girl was hugging _her_ man. "Tabane! Focus!" Chifuyu practically growled at the other woman, forcing her to let go of Simon with another huff and return to standing with her. "Alright, I think it's time I show you Ho-Chan's new IS. It should be arriving now."

Right when she said now, a capsule landed right next to her, throwing dust into everyone's eyes and generally surprising them. _This is getting to be a habit with her_ Simon thought, still not over the fact that the person he admired acted like a child on a sugar rush. The capsule opened to reveal a maroon IS that looked very impressive. "This is Akatsubaki. Designed by yours truly, this is the world's first 4th generation IS!" Before anyone could question _that_ particular statement, she had pulled Houki over to a portable scanner to measure her and personalize the IS to her size. "Wait," Simon began, being the first to recover from the multiple shocks this crazy woman had induced. "I thought that we had only just started creating 3rd generation units. How is this one a 4th gen?" "Because I built it, and I'm a genius." Tabane answered simply without even looking at him.

"Yeah, but-" "Okay! Time to test this thing out!" Tabane said, cutting him off. Houki just grumbled as she activated the IS and took off to test its flight. "This IS uses fold-out armor to increase its mobility and speed. Also, I equipped it with a pair of swords optimized for both close and long-range combat. Watch." Tabane explained, summoning a missile launch cell next to her and firing a barrage at Houki. She summoned her swords and took a swipe with the left one, launching a massive energy wave at them and detonating most. The rest she managed to dodge at speeds no one even imagined an IS was capable off. Simon noticed that the armor on her wings and thighs had shifted when she dodged, growing what looked like energy wings. Lashing out with her right sword, she launched several energy blasts at the remaining missiles and destroyed them.

This met scattered applause as Simon, Ichika and Charlotte clapped at the impressive performance. _Really glad she didn't have that when we fought_ Simon thought as she landed next to them, blushing slightly at the attention she was getting. While she had been running through her 'exercise,' Chifuyu had stepped to the side to take a call. She returned to them saying, "Alright, we have a situation here. I want everyone to meet me in the control room in 20 minutes." "Wait, we have a control room?" Simon asked, but she was already walking away. Tabane had also disappeared, leaving behind some very confused teens.

* * *

"We have a rogue IS heading towards this location." Chifuyu announced simply, looking between the pilots. They had gathered in a surprisingly well equipped control room at the resort. Maya had already been there, working at one of the stations and trying to get any data she could about the unknown. "So, what kind of IS is it?" Rin asked, excited to be doing something serious for a change. "It is one of the American's experimental units." Chifuyu explained, activating the display table in front of her. "Two days ago, it went ballistic during an exercise and killed three people before disappearing. Now, it's reappeared and is heading straight for this area." "How fast is it?" Simon asked, looking at the three-dimensional display of the IS. Parts of its design seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. "Well over Mach 1." She answered, causing the anticipation to turn to dread. None of them could even approach that speed, except maybe Simon. Even then, he would be risking serious bodily harm even trying. "How are we supposed to intercept something that fast?" Charlotte asked.

"That's where Akatsubaki makes its big debut!" Tabane announced, causing everyone to look up to where the girl had been hanging like a bat. True to form, she attempted to launch another hug at Chifuyu, and like before she failed miserably. Standing up, she explained, "The fold-out armor allows it to easily reach speeds over Mach 1. Catching that IS would be a piece of cake!" "But unless you skipped something, it doesn't have any kind of one-off." Simon countered, still looking at the thing's image. "Even if you caught it, you'd be forced into a prolonged battle at high speeds." "Then we use Byakushiki's." Chifuyu stated simply, causing everyone to look towards Ichika. "But, instructor, he can't reach those speeds either." Laura said. Houki seemed to clue into the intended plan quickly, because she spoke up. "Unless I'm carrying him. I'm sure Akatsubaki can still reach the speed required, even with a passenger." "So she's going to carry you?" Simon said, nudging Ichika in the side and causing the bluenette to blush. Houki, to her credit, ignored him.

"What is this one called, anyway?" Cecilia asked as she flicked through the IS' stats. "The Silver Gospel." Chifuyu answered simply before turning to give orders to Ichika and Houki. Simon, meanwhile, had all the color in his face drain away. Rin and Cecilia noticed and immediately grew concerned. Planting his hands on the table, he leaned over and screwed his eyes shut, mumbling, "Those bastards." "Something wrong, Felix?" Chifuyu asked, noticing how the blonde was acting. In fact, everyone turned their attention to him. No one had seen this kind of a reaction sense the Ogre spoke to him. Taking a moment to gather himself, he stood back up and looked at them all. _They continued the damn project_ he thought. "As some of you know, my sister was an IS test pilot." He said, clearly pained, "The name of the unit she was testing when the…accident occurred was the Gospel."

Everyone took a moment to fully process that, and then Rin was standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder. Cecilia moved towards him as well and hugged him, knowing full well what he must have been thinking. Even Tabane was at a loss for what to say. Being the genius that she is, it was easy to gain access to the full records concerning this boy. She had needed to, since he was another anomaly that her cores had accepted, and she had wanted to understand why. While not as mad as he was over the incident, she was rather mad at how sloppily the test that led to it was carried out, and how those people could be so careless with one of _her_ cores.

In the end, it was decided that Ichika and Houki would deploy to stop the rouge IS. As they followed Chifuyu down to the beach, Simon decided to remain in the control room. Cecilia and Rin stayed with him, trying to console him. "Girls, really, I'm fine." He said, trying to make them feel better. However, they both saw clean through the obvious lie. Sighing, he turned to the monitor that displayed the footage from the two pilots. They had activated their IS, and with Ichika taking a firm grip on her back, Houki had activated the fold-out armor and taken off, quickly gaining speed as she moved to intercept the Gospel. Maya walked up behind the three as they stared at the screen and said, "Don't worry. Those two will do just fine." Simon just nodded as he continued to watch the two traveling over the ocean.

Chifuyu returned to the control room some time latter and joined them in staring at the screen. Charlotte and Laura hadn't come back, but Simon didn't take note of that as he saw Houki and Ichika closing on the Gospel. It was different from the design he had worked with; the wings were more elegant and looked like actual wings now, and the wrist mounted particle weapons had been removed. The most interesting change was that it looked like a solid suit now; there wasn't any exposed flesh from the pilot. _Why would they fully armor it_ he wondered as Ichika and Houki came at it from behind. The first attack, which they had all hoped would be the only one necessary, missed as the Gospel dodged at the last second. Turning to them, several ports along its wings opened and a shower of energy bombs were hurled at them, separating the two teens.

Summoning her twin swords, Houki proceeded to launch her own energy attacks at the Gospel, forcing it to dodge. The speed and agility it demonstrated surprised everyone as it dodged every single one of Houki's attacks before it fired back. Holding out its hand, it gathered energy in its palm before firing it at the samurai, only to have Ichika deflect it with his own sword. He attempted to get closer, only to be blown back by another shower of energy bombs. The battle continued with the three racing across the sky, energy blasts flying in every direction, until they noticed a small boat in the waters below. "What the hell?" Simon said as he lept to his feet. "Where did they come from?"

"Poachers, probably." Chifuyu guessed as she watched the change in Ichika's demeanor. Instead of focusing on offense, he had shifted to defending the boat from stray blasts, which clearly pissed Houki off. After all, why should he be fighting to protect criminals? Before their fight could get any further, the Gospel suddenly closed on Houki and released a barrage at close-range, too close to dodge. Somehow, Ichika managed to get between her and the incoming fire, taking all of it and becoming engulfed in a massive explosion before plummeting from the sky, his IS destructing in a shower of light. The Gospel took this moment to retreat as Houki flew down and caught the unconscious boy. Chifuyu was on her phone, demanding a medical team meet them on the beach as soon as possible as Simon, Rin and Cecilia rushed from the room.

* * *

Simon was standing on the shore, alone, staring out to sea and cursing himself for not doing more. They had arrived just as Houki landed, and they saw how badly Ichika had been hurt; severe burns on his arms and legs and several nasty-looking gashes across his chest. Houki was very close to tears as the medical team arrived and quickly tried to stabilize him. Letting her IS destruct, she remained kneeling in the sand with her face in her hands. Knowing that there wasn't much he could do for Ichika, Simon knelt next to Houki and put an arm around her shoulder. As the medics carried him away, Simon said, "Don't worry, that guy is too stupid to die." Houki just looked after them, and it looked like she was close to leaping up and following them. Instead, Simon and Rin lead her back to her room and left her there before heading to the make-shift hospital they had set up.

Chifuyu stopped them from entering, saying that the medical staff needed to be left alone to work. It was at that point that Simon had decided to return to the beach to try and clear his head. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, and his mind was being constantly assaulted by what-if scenarios as he tried to imagine what he could have done to stop this from happening. After a few minutes, Houki joined him and stared out at the water as well. Finally, she spoke up, saying, "I'm done." "What do you mean, you're done?" Simon asked, turning and looking at her in confusion. "I'm done with the IS. I'm just not cut out to be a pilot." "So that's it?" he demanded, turning fully to face her and not caring that she looked on the edge of tears again. "You're just going to quit? After all of this, all the friends you made, you're just going to run away?"

She turned to him and nodded, not meeting his gaze, and when she saw his hand starting to rise, she fully expected him to hit her. And why not? She was pathetic, not even willing to try and save those people on the boat. She deserved to get hit. Instead, she felt his hand rest on her head and looked up to see him smiling at her. "You two are a lot more alike than you admit." He said, "Proud, stubborn and kind. And determined as hell to see this as your fault" At this, Houki felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Why, why don't you hate me?" she asked, her voice starting to tremble. "Because you're my friend, and I care too much to hate you," he explained, taking his hand off her head, "Now, you have two choices; stay here and wallow in self-pity, or help me."

"Help you do what?" she asked, looking away from him. "I'm going after that IS, and I could really use your help. Please." He said, causing her to look back at him in surprise. "B-but you don't even know where it is." Smiling, he motioned off to the side, saying, "No, but they do." Turning, Houki saw that all of her friends were lined up, and the accusing looks she was expecting to get were instead looks of compassion and understanding. That did it as she felt the dam break. Simon just stepped forward and hugged her, allowing her to let it out and not caring that it was soaking his shirt. "We're going to get that thing, Houki. I swear it."

 **9 chapters and they finally kiss! Woo! Also, feel free to start placing bets on the relation between the Gospel and Simon's sister. I get the feeling that you may not see the twist I have in mind coming. As far as updates go, I think I'm going to settle on one chapter a week, but that is subject to change depending on my work load from my classes. Also on whether or not my internet goes out again, since it's happened twice now.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10; Blue Angel

After Houki had taken some time to collect herself, they grouped up to hear what Laura had learned from her unit. "My comrades in the Schwarzer Hase were able to borrow some satellite time and learn that the Silver Gospel has retreated to this island." She said, summoning the right arm of her IS and displaying a map over it. "Since then, it has not moved." "Is it damaged?" Rin asked. Simon just shook his head, saying, "I doubt it. Neither Ichika nor Houki could land a solid blow. Which begs the question; why is it staying put?" They didn't have an answer for that, though they tried to think of one. Finally, Houki spoke up, saying, "Does it really matter? We know where it is, and we can definitely beat it now." They just looked at her and nodded. The reason didn't matter; they were going to take this thing down for their friend.

Summoning their IS, they took off and headed towards the island. Chifuyu, who had been watching them from a distance, took a moment to wish those stupid kids luck before turning to Tabane, who was standing next to her. "Were you able to find anything else out about that IS?" "Sorry, Chi-chan, but whoever set this in motion covered their tracks well." she answered, looking depressed that someone had been able to out-smart her on something. Chifuyu shuddered at the thought of what they could be dealing with, and briefly considered calling them back, only to realize they would just ignore her if she tried.

* * *

As they closed in on the island, Simon opened a com link with the girls. "Alright, Cecilia and Laura, stay back and give us cover." "What?!" Cecilia practically yelled, causing everyone to wince, "Why would I stay in the back? You think that I will allow you to fight that thing without me?" Sighing, Simon explained, "You two have the only long-range weapons. You'll be more useful at range. We'll try and set-up shots for you, okay?" Cecilia just sighed in frustration, but broke off to stay with Laura as they went for more height. Simon and the others spread out and continued on their way, quickly coming into view of the Gospel. While everyone else was eager to finally engage it, Simon was slightly nervous about it.

He was sure that this IS had nothing to do with his sister, but there were things he saw that just did not sit well with him. For starters, when Houki and Ichika first attacked it, its movements weren't just that of a machine. A combat program is usually more reactive than proactive when it comes to the kind of combat they do with IS. The situation is too fluid for pre-programmed battle plans to be of much use, so the program has to analyze and react to the situation. Instead, the Gospel had gone on the offensive, never giving the two pilots a chance to get close and use their swords. He could explain that away as clever programming, that whatever controlled this IS was aware of its weakness at close-range and was responding to that with overwhelming fire. But, that explanation just didn't sit well with him.

Shaking his head to clear it, he focused on the matter at hand as they closed on the Gospel. Rather than waiting to see how it would respond, Simon unfolded his wings and launched all of his fang bits, opting for finishing it quickly. In response, the Gospel released a wave of its energy bombs at them, forcing him to call them back or risk their destruction, and then shot straight up while charging a beam in its hand. Before it could fire, Houki and Charlotte were on it, Houki closing to slash it into pieces and Charlotte opening fire with her two SMGs, peppering it with bullets and chipping away at the shields. As Houki got closer, the Gospel brought its left arm up and blocked her first swing, grabbing the blade and stunning the samurai. Before she could respond, it fired into her stomach and sent her hurtling away. Charlotte took the moment to open fire again, but was forced back by another wave of bombs.

By this point, Rin and Simon had made their way behind it and launched their own attack. With Rin pinning it down with her Shock cannons, Simon closed and brought his sword down, attempting to sever its arm. The Gospel dodged at the last second, just a simple drift to the side, before it brought its right fist into his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Backing off a bit, he brought his shield up right as Cecilia and Laura opened fire. While a few stray rounds came close to him, most of them hit the Gospel and it was quickly consumed in a cloud of smoke. When the Gospel emerged from the smoke, it had changed drastically. The wings were now made of pure energy, and its body was much sleeker in design. _It underwent its second shift now?_ Simon thought as the new Gospel charged a pair of particle beams. Before they could even prepare for the attack, it launched them at Simon and Charlotte, draining their shields by a fair amount and forcing them back.

Rin and Houki tried closing on the IS, only to have it launch a much larger and more powerful version of its bomb wave at them. Houki was able to dodge most of the blasts, but Rin wasn't so lucky and had her shields drop to 20%. "Rin, fall back!" Simon said as he fired his smoke missiles at the Gospel, trying to buy time as he accelerated towards it. However, as he got to within two feet of it, he saw a flash and barely brought his shield up in time to block the beam aimed at his head. Thrown off-balance, he wasn't prepared when the Gospel suddenly was right in front of him, its hand in his face with another beam charged. He tensed, ready for the pain to come, but it never did. The Gospel instead absorbed the charge and lowered its hand. On an open com link, they heard, "Not bad, but you can do much better than that, Simon."

The voice was strange, and he knew it wasn't one of the girls. Rather than taking the chance at a dialogue, he fell back as Charlotte, Laura and Cecilia started opening fire again. Turning, he saw that Houki was with Rin, and that they were both glowing. "The heck is she doing to you, Rin?" he asked as he readied his fangs for another attempt. "I'm recharging her shield energy." Houki answered as she broke away, the glow fading. "You can do that?" "Yeah, seems my sister thought of everything." Turning back to the battle, he noticed that the Gospel was only dodging the attacks; it wasn't launching any of its own. _Strange, it wasn't against countering earlier_ he thought as he launched his fangs again. Turning towards him, the Gospel launched another wave of bombs, this time taking three fangs out before Simon could pull them back.

"Nice try, Simon, but you need to do much better than that." He heard again. "Okay, I'm not crazy, right? Everyone else can hear that?" he asked, hoping it was just an overactive imagination. "No, I heard it as well." Laura said as she launched another shot at the Gospel, only to have the little pest dodge it with ease. She was convinced that the damned thing was toying with them; it wasn't even fighting back now. Deciding to take a leap of faith, Simon opened a link on that channel and said simply, "IS, stand down now." "Or else what?" it asked back, tilting its head to the side. "We scrap you." He said, bringing his sword back up. The others had moved to surround it in a rough sphere, hoping to catch it in a crossfire should it refuse.

However, they were all taken by surprise when they heard laughter. The Gospel tiled its head back. "You, scrap me? Hahahaha! You clearly don't understand who you're fighting." It said, looking straight at Simon. "You lost this battle the moment it started." "And how do you figure that?" Simon shot back, trying to project confidence. However, he was starting to feel a pit forming in his stomach. "Because," it began, raising a hand, "You assumed I was alone."

As if on que, several things shot out of the water from beneath the Gospel and spread out to engage the pilots. Before they could react to that, two massive particle beams shot from the water, hitting Laura and Houki dead-on. The reinforcements engaged them right after the hits, forcing the pilots to break-up and fight separately. The new units, whatever they were, looked like Harpies and were carrying a variety of weapons. Some had rifles, others had swords, and one had what looked like a bazooka, which it was aiming at Cecilia as she tried to fight off one of the other Harpies. Without even thinking, Simon triggered an Ignition Burst and intercepted the rocket as it sailed towards her, noting how his shields took a 5% hit from that blast alone. _Can't take many of those_ he thought as he blocked a slash from another Harpy.

The only saving grace they had was that from the design of these new enemies, it was clear there was no-one inside them; their limbs and chest were too thin. Fighting off the one clinging to his shield, Simon brought his sword down and severed its right arm. After losing its rifle, the Harpy immediately sprouted a wrist-mounted energy blade which it lashed out with next. Turning the attempted slash aside, he turned his block into an attack as he cut it in two at the waist. Just as its corpse was falling away from him, the beams from the water fired again. Simon got a brief glimpse of a ship below the waves before one of the blasts hit him full in the chest, dropping his shields to critical. Before he could worry about being taken down, Cecilia's laser bits were around him, firing at anything approaching him. Houki was next to him in the next moment, recharging his IS.

"We can't keep this up." She said as she looked at the others. Cecilia was managing to stay away from the fighting, but the others were fighting with at least two Harpies each. For some reason, the Gospel was staying out of the fight and just watching them. Suddenly, he saw the bazooka-wielding Harpy behind Cecilia, and he felt the bottom of his stomach drop away. "Cecilia, behind you!" he yelled, breaking away from Houki and racing for her. She was just beginning to turn when the Harpy put the barrel in her face and prepared to pull the trigger. Suddenly, an energy blade pierced its chest, causing its aim to shift and the missile to miss. Turning the stab into a slash, Ichika threw the now defeated enemy aside and looked at Cecilia, asking, "Are you okay?" She just nodded as another beam nearly missed her.

"It's nice to see you up and moving, Ichika, but we're kind of in the middle of something." Simon said, cutting off any premature celebration at the return of their friend. Privately, he was relieved that he was okay, and noted how his IS had undergone its second shift. The armored sections had become more elaborate, and his left hand now had a claw, and what looked like a gun barrel. This guess was proved right when Ichika began firing his own shots, even though they were poorly aimed. _Alright, we're at full strength, we can do this_ Simon thought as he cleaved another Harpy in two. Then the Gospel was behind him, saying, "I think it's time we talked, privately."

Swinging around, he tried to bury his sword in its side, only to have it grab his wrist before accelerating towards the island below, dragging him along with it. "Simon!" Cecilia yelled, trying to catch up to them. In response, the Gospel launched a wave of bombs behind it, forcing her back. Not long after that, another pair of beams lanced out of the water, targeting her and Ichika. Any other view of the battle was lost to him as he was dragged down to the island.

* * *

When they arrived, he was unceremoniously thrown to the ground ahead of the Gospel. Quickly getting back to his feet, Simon prepared for another attack. Instead, the Gospel stood there, staring at him. "It has been quite a while, Simon." it said, walking towards him. "How do you know me?" he demanded, bringing his sword up to try and stop it. However, it just kept walking until his sword was touching its chest. "Have you truly forgotten me?" it asked. While he could have imagined it, Simon thought he heard pain in its voice. Looking closer, he saw two faint blue lights that could very well have been eyes. "I've never worked with A.I. before." He said, bringing the sword up towards its neck. "Is that what you think I am?" it asked, stepping closer, "Is that _who_ you think I am?" Snorting, he responded, "What else could you be?"

Letting its head drop slightly, he heard it sigh before saying, "Ci vediamo dall'altra parte, fratello." Simon froze at that, recognizing the phrase. However, he couldn't bring himself to believe it, it had been used by that Ogre to stun him before, after all. "H-how do you know that?" he asked, feeling his hand starting to shake. Stepping closer to him, the Gospel brushed his sword aside, which he didn't even try and stop. There was something about its actions that tugged at the edges of his memory; they way it walked, the way it talked, the way it fights. As if seeing the look in his eyes, it said, "It has been a long time, brother," before stepping forward and hugging him.

His world stopped right then and there. The IS that was supposed to be his enemy, that had hurt one of his friends, was being piloted by his _sister_. _No, that's not right_ he thought, bringing his hands up and pushing it away. "You're not Sarah." He said, looking it in the eye, "I watched her die. I _saw her body_." Even though it didn't have a mouth, he could picture it smiling at him. "I promise, I'll explain. Come with me and I'll tell you everything." Before it could try and hug him again, or he could even consider its offer, a particle beam hit the sand between them. Simon lept back out of reflex and looked up to see who had shot at them.

The IS wasn't one he recognized; it was also fully armored with solid wings in the design of angel wings, its hands were replaced with what looked like double-barrel rifles, and its thigh armor had large plates hanging from them that looked like a series of diamond plates fitted together. Without speaking, it brought its rifles up and opened fire on the Gospel, the barrels on each hand alternating to keep up a continuous stream of fire. The Gospel, took flight at this and launched its own return fire. Acting on instinct, Simon moved to protect the Gospel. Enemy or not, he was going to get some answers from it, damnit. The new IS just dodged around him and continued firing at the Gospel, forcing it back.

Calling back the three remaining Harpies, the Gospel moved to where the beams had been coming out of the water, saying, "I guess we'll have to catch-up another time, Simon," before diving beneath the waves. Turning to the new IS, he saw it begin to engage the Harpies. Before anyone could move to support it, they saw its armor change; the wings expanded on solid bands of light, as did the armor on its thighs ad shoulders. When one of the harpies closed in on it with a sword, the rifle on its right arm folded down and out before sprouting an energy blade that it used to cut through the sword before removing the Harpy's head. Dodging to the left, it quickly brought the second into its sights and put a beam clean through its chest. The last Harpy attempted to bring its energy dagger into the IS' back, only to have the blade blocked and a rifle barrel shoved into its face.

Before anyone could stop it, the IS blew the Harpy's head off and let the now dead body fall away. It then just collapsed it's weapons into armor slabs on its wrists, relieving that it did in fact have hands. Turning to them, it opened a link and said simply, "I think we are done here." Rin was the first to speak up. "Who the heck are you, lady?" she asked, deciding to throw courtesy to the wind. "I will explain, but not here. Shall we return to your headquarters?" Simon detected just a bit of an accent, but let it go. _Ms. Orimura is going to_ love _this one_ he thought.

* * *

As they approached the beach, Chifuyu, Maya and Tabane met them when they landed. After destructing their IS, and allowing Tabane a moment to hug Ichika and Houki and gush about how glad she was they were safe, they turned to the new IS, which had still not destructed. "So, who exactly are you, and who are you with?" Chifuyu asked, turning her attention fully to this new IS. Tabane, meanwhile, was scrutinizing the suit, clearly trying to work out what it was. "I am sorry, ma'am, but I cannot answer that question." It replied. "How about explaining why you have fold-out armor?" Simon asked, causing Tabane to practically launch herself at the suit. "What?! How can you have that system? I only made it for Ho-chan!" As she started to try and climb over the suit, she received a brief shock to throw her clear of it. "I apologize, but I cannot allow you to do that, teacher." That last part stopped everyone short for a moment before they all looked at Tabane for an explanation. "I never had a student." She said as she stood back up.

The IS suddenly had its helmet open up, although it would be more appropriate to say it collapsed down into the collar. The pilot was a girl, not much older than the other pilots, with deep blue eyes and dark blonde hair held in a bun. "No, you would not remember me," she said, her accent distinctly British, "But then again, we have not met yet. You look much prettier without the scar, by the way." _This is what it must feel like to be Ichika_ Simon thought as he struggled to keep up with the conversation. "So you know Tabane?" Chifuyu asked, managing to keep some measure of calm. "Well, yes, and no." The mystery girl answered, but she refused to say more. Sensing the growing tension, Maya stepped forward and asked, "What can you tell us, then?" "That depends on how bad the situation is here." She responded, turning to the other pilots, "Is this the first time this has happened?"

Noticing that no-one else was able, or willing, to answer her, Simon spoke up. "Well, no. There was an IS that looked like an Ogre, and then a spider that tried to capture me." "I see, so they have already begun." The new girl said cryptically. Shifting her attention to a screen that only she could see, it seemed that she was reading something. Cecilia took this moment to step forward. "Um, I don't know who you are, but thank you for your help." She said. The new girl seemed a little stunned at this, but she composed herself quickly and answered, "You are welcome." She finally destructed her IS, dropping to the ground and giving them a good look at her. Simon and Ichika immediately blushed since she was, in a word; breathtaking. She also had a scar that ran along the upper part of her left arm, starting from the elbow and going up to her shoulder before disappearing beneath her pilot's suit.

"It seems that the situation has progressed to the point where direct cooperation is necessary." She said, addressing Chifuyu, "As such, I am permitted to reveal certain information to you." "Then tell us who you are, and what you know about the Silver Gospel." She responded, crossing her arms in her don't-screw-with-me pose. "The IS you saw is the result of a phenomenon that occurred 16 years ago, although I suppose for you it would be two years ago now." She explained, "My teacher is still unsure of how it happened, or how this being is able to repeat the event to make more of itself. What we are sure of is that its intent is nothing short of total domination." "Domination of what?" Ichika asked, although a few of them already felt they knew where this was going.

Turning to him, she answered simply, "Domination of us. Humanity." They took a moment to let that sink in, then Chifuyu gestured for her to continue. "I have been sent here, before the point of no return, in order to make sure that the outcome is different this time." "'This time?'" Chifuyu asked, raising an eyebrow. Nodding, she continued, "My teacher, the Tabane that I know, was able to devise a method for one-way time travel. I have been sent to ensure that what that machine is planning will not happen." While Tabane and Chifuyu seemed to take _that_ particular little bomb without batting an eye, everyone else needed a moment to fully come to terms with that one. "You're from the future?" Simon asked, trying not to sound skeptical. When she nodded, he asked, "How far?"

At this, the girl turned to Cecilia and looked her up and down before asking, "How old are you now?" Cecilia, for some reason, tried to cover herself up as if the girl was doing something obscene. "Wh-why does it matter how old I am?" she asked, blushing slightly. When the other girl just stood there without answering, she answered, "18." She stood there a moment, staring off into the distance before she turned back to Simon and said, "I am from 23 years in the future." "And why did you need miss Alcott's age to figure that out?" Chifuyu asked, clearly as skeptical about this as Simon was. Without turning a hair, she responded, "Perhaps I should introduce myself properly. I am Maylin Alcott, and she is my mother." _Yeah, this is going to go over_ real _well_ Simon thought before Rin turned to him. "Wow, Simon, you sure work fast." She said, causing the others to blush rather badly, and Cecilia and Simon to try and kill the Chinese girl.

* * *

After they had been hauled off Rin, Chifuyu and Tabane took Maylin for a private meeting, while Maya lead the others of them back to the hotel to rest. After Rin's little 'comment,' Cecilia was refusing to look Simon in the eye, and she seemed to have a permanent blush. _So, she's already drawing conclusions when we don't even know the whole story_ he thought, although it was admittedly hard not to under the circumstances. Rather than sit there and listen to his friends constantly teasing him about what this could _possibly_ mean, he went for a walk in the Japanese garden outside.

Choosing one of the larger rocks, he sat down to try and organize his thoughts. Too much had happened to him too damned fast. First, he had gone to the next step with Cecilia, which he was both nervous as hell about, and excited over. He had nearly lost a friend, two actually, considering Houki was about to quit over something she couldn't have controlled. He learned that the Gospel was being piloted by his sister, although what Maylin had said about it hinted at something else. And then there was Maylin Alcott, a headache in her own right. "Damnit, I never wanted this!" he shouted, feeling the frustration building up. "I don't think any of us did, Simon." Laura said, startling the blonde. He turned to see her standing behind him, looking impassive.

"Did you need something?" he asked, in no mood for jokes. "I just wanted to know what your opinion is over our new guest." She said, walking over to stand next to him and looking at one of the trees. Turning to follow her gaze, he thought a moment before saying, "I'm not sure I believe her story about being from the future. It just sounds a little too far-fetched." Laura just nodded, pleased to know that at least one of her friends shared her concerns. "It also seems a little suspicious that she would appear right when we fought the Gospel." She said, "The timing seems too perfect to me." Deciding Laura was one of the better people to share this with, Simon said, "About the Gospel. It claimed to be my sister."

Laura didn't say anything for a moment, mulling that over. She had heard about what happened to his sister from the others, and while she couldn't personally relate to what he felt over it, she knew it was not a topic he opened up about ofter. "Do you believe it?" she asked, trying her best to remain neutral. Looking down at his hands, he responded, "I don't know. The way it spoke to me, the way it walked, even the way it fights all remind me of Sarah. But..." "but?" she asked. Sighing, he struggled on, knowing he had to say this out loud to cement it in his mind. "But that could just be the result of clever programing. Someone that spent enough time observing her to record her speech, fighting style, and mannerisms. I just don't know." "Simon, can I give you some advice, as a soldier?" Laura asked, turning to him, "Unless that thing gives you definitive proof, treat it as an enemy's mind game." Simon just nodded, but he still felt far from certain. He knew that the Gospel, that Sarah, was telling the truth back there. But, there was also lies hidden in there somewhere. He just couldn't figure out which was which.

 **Well, this one came a little early, so think of it as another apology for being gone for so long. Hope you enjoyed the several bomb shells I just dropped on you there. The battles are just going to get more intense from here, sense this is the part where the shit starts its intercept course for the fan. Hope you brought good umbrellas.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11; Aftermath

The ride back was awkward, to say the lease. Maylin sat with Tabane and Chifuyu, talking with them about lord knows what, since any attempt to eaves-drop was thwarted immediately. Rather than talking with anyone, Simon had decided to take one of the seats towards the back. Putting his ear buds in, he did his best to emit an air of do-not-disturb as he closed his eyes and tried to make sense of the past two days. While he didn't realize it, Cecilia glanced at him several times during the trip, conflicted over respecting his obvious desire for privacy, and going to him to try and work out what they were both thinking.

Once they had arrived at the Academy, Simon and Ichika decided to return to their room rather than stay with the girls. Once they arrived at their room, it was to find Tatenashi sitting on Simon's bed and looking rather bored. The moment they walked into the room, she lept from the bed and was immediately in Simon's face. "I need you, right now" She said before grabbing the back of his collar and dragging him from the room. Rather than trying to fight back, Simon said to Ichika, "You tell _anyone_ about this, you're a dead man." When they arrived at the elevator, she released Simon, allowing him to turn around. "Okay, what's so important that you needed to break into my room and drag me away like that?" he asked, already worried about what this could do if Rin or Cecilia found out.

"Family" she answered simply as the elevator arrived. She stepped into it and just stood there, waiting. Whether she knew it or not, that particular topic was one of a handful of ways to get Simon to help, no questions asked. He joined her as the doors slid closed and asked, "I'm going to need a bit more information than that." Taking a deep breath, she explained, "My sister has been trying to put together her own IS, but she hasn't made much headway. She needs help, but she won't accept it from me." "Why not?" "Simon, you know the family I come from," she said, finally looking at him, "We're expected to excel at everything. My sister tried as hard as I did, but because of my natural talent and how well I can work with others, she quickly slipped into my shadow." She didn't need to explain any more for Simon to grasp the problem. This girl was trying to prove herself, but she was stuck with a prodigy for an older sister.

"So, where do I come into this?" he asked. "I would like you to help her the way you helped Ichika" she said, smiling as she turned back to stare at the door, "But, don't tell her that I asked you to." "My lips are sealed" Simon said as the doors opened and he stepped out of the car. "She's in the IS hanger, bay 7" Tatenashi called out as the doors closed. _The things I do for friends_ Simon thought as he left the building. However, this would provide Simon with a nice distraction from the thoughts that had been eating away at him since getting back from the resort. He noticed that Maylin had made the trip back with them, but that Tabane and Chifuyu had taken her off to Chifuyu's office the moment they arrived. Clearly, there was more they needed to get from the girl before she could interact with the rest of them.

Arriving at the IS hanger, he quickly found his way to the bay where Tatenashi's sister had set up her workshop. Walking in, he noticed that it was hardly in use; only two of the stations actually had equipment set up at them, and only one had an IS. At first, he thought it was one of the Academy's Uchigane, but looking closer he saw that the wings had been modified to be longer and a bit more rectangular. _Some kind of missile system, or maybe cannons_ he thought as he walked over to the other equipped station. Summoning his IS before him in stand-by, he decided that working on his own unit was a better way of getting her attention than just walking up behind her.

Bringing up the schematics on one of the larger screens, he made sure it was turned so that she could see it if she looked over and bought up his bit system. Grabbing the test collar he kept with his equipment, he quickly put it on and made sure it plugged into the port correctly before he activated the system. He then went through some of the thought controlled systems; unfolding the wings and manipulating them the way he did in flight, as well as deploying and docking the fangs. Bringing one of them forward, he decided on one of his more challenging exercises as he deployed the blade and tried balancing it on his finger. He briefly noticed that the girl was watching him now before turning his attention fully to the fang before him. The tip of the blade just barely made contact with his finger, causing a brief pain as the skin was slightly burned. He then focused on keeping the bit perfectly level.

After mentally counting two minutes, he returned the bit to the IS and examined his finger. Sensing someone behind him, he noticed that she had gotten up and was looking at the burn on his finger. "W-why would you do that?" she asked. _Clearly not used to social interactions_ he thought as he undid the clip on his collar and took it off. "To make sure my concentration is right for the control I need" he answered, placing the collar on the table and facing her fully. At this, she shrank back a few steps and clasped her hands in front of her. _She's scared of me?_ He wondered, noticing that she had averted her gaze and also hunched over slightly. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-to pry." She said, turning to leave. "So, what kind of IS are you working on?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "I d-doubt you w-would understand." She mumbled as she made to leave. Crossing his arms, he responded, "The machine you see behind me was built by yours truly, you know." _That ought to get her attention._

And it did, because she stopped and turned back, her eyes brimming with a million questions. Instead of talking, sense that clearly wasn't her strong suit, he motioned to the monitor and nodded. She walked up to it and looked at it for a moment before flipping through the different sections of the schematic. Smiling, he just stood there as she looked through the plans, sensing that she was probably one of a handful of people that could fully grasp the design of his machine. Finally, she looked up and said, "There's a component missing." Knowing full well what she meant, he turned around and pulled the hair on the back of his head up, revealing his Interface plug. She walked up behind him, then stopped, asking "M-may I?" "It's sturdier than it looks." He responded. Gently, she touched the back of his neck and the area around the plug. He could even feel her breath as she leaned in to look at it closer. Then, about 5 seconds later, he heard an "Eep" before she quickly jumped back. Turning back around, he saw that she was blushing rather badly. Deciding to spare her any further embarrassment, he walked over to the screen and brought up the neural system.

"It's okay, you know. I'm not going to say anything" he said without turning around, "So, want to tell me why you're here alone?" She just stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, looking squarely at the wall with her cheeks still rather red. Sighing, Simon decided to try another approach. "How about we start with names? I'm Simon Felix" he said, leaning back on the table. After shuffling her feet for a moment, she answered, "Kanzashi Sarashiki." "Well, Kanzashi, since I've shown you mine, how about showing me yours?" She just blushed harder at that, and Simon mentally slapped himself for the phrasing he used. "Your IS, I mean" he corrected, thinking _I'm really glad Rin isn't here_. Thinking about it, she nodded and walked over to her own IS.

The paint job was a lot of light blue and white, reminding him of ice. While she brought up the schematics on one of the screens, Simon noticed a lot of hand-drawn plans on the table and picked them up, sifting through them. "Ah! Th-those are-" "Hand-drawn notes on IS systems" he said, finishing it for her, "Very well done, too. I've only ever been able to work out these kinds of problems on a computer." Looking up, he saw that she was, again, looking at the ground. _Wow, this is going to be interesting._ "You don't have to lie, I know they aren't very good" she said, looking more depressed than anything. "You clearly haven't seen me draw. I'm lucky if it ends up looking normal, let alone this kind of detail" he said, turning back to the plans. "You're trying to work out a missile targeting system from scratch?"

This caught her off guard, and she looked up, surprised that he understood the notes that well. Normally, the other students just dismissed her work, saying she would be better off with one of the programs the Academy can provide. "Y-yes, but I'm not getting very far" she admitted, "The system can't seem to configure more than 6 missiles at a time." "So, it can't handle multiple projectiles at once?" Simon said, putting the plans back down. Thinking a moment, he walked back over to his station and copied some data from his own IS before returning and handing the memory stick to Kanzashi. Looking at the stick for a moment, she then looked at him in confusion before plugging it into her own terminal. She was surprised to see that it was a copy of the control system he used for his fangs. "B-but, I can't use this" she said, turning back to him. "No, but the system on my IS keeps me from sending conflicting signals. It should work well as a base, though" he said.

Suddenly understanding what he meant, she gathered the notes on her control system and started breaking both them and Simon's own control system down. After a moment, he walked over to the IS and started rebuilding the system as she walked him through the changes. It turned into a full-blown conversation where her stutter disappeared. She was clearly more comfortable talking tech than trying to talk normally. After a time, Simon noticed that he didn't hear anything going on behind him and turned to see that Kanzashi had fallen asleep on the table. Looking at his watch, he realized that it was 10:40. _Damn, no wonder I'm so tired_ he thought as he got up and walked over to the table. Kanzashi was sound asleep, and he had to admit that she looked rather cute. Shaking his head, he leaned down and eased her chair back. After looking her up in the dorm registry, he got her onto his back and carried her back to the dorms.

After spending a few minutes figuring out how to work the elevator controls, he managed to press the right button for the sixth floor with his elbow. Shifting her weight, which was less than he would have thought, he peeked out of the doors as they opened. The last thing he needed was for someone to spread a rumor about him and this girl. Seeing the floor was clear, he hurried to her room and used his foot to knock. _This will be an interesting conversation_ he thought as he heard the roommate coming to open the door. "Do you have any idea what time…it…is…" she said, trailing off as she saw Simon holding a sleeping Kanzashi. "Yeah, sorry, but I figured it was better for her to sleep here rather than the maintenance bay" he said, edging past her and moving for the beds, "So, which belongs to her?" Without a word, the roommate pointed to the closer of the two beds. Setting her down and saying a quick goodbye, he left the room and made his way back to the elevator.

* * *

After suffering through the classes for the day, Simon decided to check the bay to see if Kanzashi had made any progress. The moment he entered the room and she saw him, however, she "eeped" and hid behind her terminal. _The roommate must have told her what happened_ he thought as he walked over. "I'm not going to bite you, Kanzashi" he said as he stopped in front of the terminal. She peeked over it, but still had a rather bad blush on her cheeks. "S-she said th-that you…you and I…" she stammered back. Sighing, he explained what had happened last night and made clear that nothing inappropriate had happened. While this seemed to put her at ease, she still had a slight blush as he turned back to her IS. "So, what are you working on today?" he asked, picking up a wrench and walking over to it.

This quickly turned into a routine where Simon would help her modify the IS almost every day. Almost a week passed before someone finally decided to find out what the blonde was doing. Unfortunately, that someone was Cecilia. After following him at a discreet distance, she peeked around the door into the bay and saw him helping Kanzashi with her IS. The two were talking, and even occasionally laughing, which caused Cecilia's temper to flare. How _dare_ that girl make a move on her man! Walking into the bay, she looked rather pissed as Simon looked up and saw her. _Ah, crap_ he thought as she glared daggers at him. Kanzashi just hid behind her monitor, clearly terrified of the British girl. "So this is where you've been going?" she said, stopping in front of him with her arms crossed.

Sighing, Simon put his tools aside and stood up. "Before you start, I'm only helping her build this IS. Nothing more" he explained, trying to keep his voice level. "Is that right? Then what's this I hear about you carrying her back at night?" she demanded, moving closer and looking ready to shoot him. "We work late sometimes, okay?" Clearly _not_ what she wanted to hear sense she had summoned a laser bit at this. Rather than trying to dodge the laser, he continued, "Did you know that her IS was sidelined in order for the company to build Ichika's?" That seemed to stop her cold as she looked over at Kanzashi, who was watching them over the monitor. "She's supposed to be the Representative Candidate of Japan," he explained, "but when Ichika came around, they shelved her planned IS in favor of building one for one of the first male pilot."

After glaring at him for another few seconds, Cecilia dismissed the laser bit and walked away, saying, "I hear about anything questionable, you will be punished." While she would have loved to actually figure out why that bone-head was ignoring her, now was not the time. "I-is she always like that?" Kanzashi asked, finally coming out from behind her station. "Not normally, but we're not exactly in a good place right now" Simon said as he turned back to her. "Maybe we should stop for today?" She nodded before leaving the bay herself, although she looked back at him briefly. Simon left not too long after, but ended up running into Rin when he left the building. "There you are, idiot" she said, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him along with her. "Where's the fire?" he demanded, trying to get free. "My new roommate is driving me crazy, asking all kinds of questions about you. I can't take it anymore."

Before he could ask who she meant, she had dragged him to one of the plazas on the campus, and he saw that it was none other than Maylin waiting for them. Upon seeing them approach, she looked away with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. _Goddamnit, I_ do not _need this today_ he thought. However, Rin's grip was like iron as she pulled him over to the bench and said, "Here, you can ask him yourself" before walking away, leaving the two staring after her. Turning back to her, Simon saw that she was still unwilling to meet his gaze. Sighing, he sat down on one of the benches and said, "So, what did you want to know?" Maylin sat on the other end of the bench, looking down at her hands. Her uniform had been modified to a version like Cecilia's, although it was a bit shorter. After watching her fiddle with her dress for a while, he decided to continue. "You know, I would have thought that you would know more about me than even I do, since you're from the future and all" he said, looking up at the sky.

"Actually, I do not. Mother did not speak about you often," she said, still unwilling to look at him, "And when she did, it was not always in great detail." "So I'm not around in your future?" he asked, looking back at her and receiving a shake of the head. _Well, damn, that's depressing_ he thought. "Well, what did she tell you about me?" "She said that you were a marvelous pilot, a great engineer, and a very good friend" she said, finally looking up, although she did still blush a little. "Well, how about I fill in some of the gaps?" he offered. Simon then proceeded to tell her as much of his story that he could bear. All the while she sat there politely, listening to every word.

"So, how is it that you know Italian?" she finally asked. Smiling, he answered, "My grandmother's mother was Italian. She believed that we should stay in touch with our roots, so she taught my sister and me." She just nodded, letting the silence that followed stretch on for a bit. "Can I ask you a question now?" Simon asked, turning to her. "It would only be fair." "What happens to me?" Maylin grew quiet at that, looking down at her hands. After thinking for a few minutes, she answered, "You died, two years after I was born." Simon took a moment to fully process that, trying to keep his face impassive. However, based on the look she was giving him, he wasn't succeeding. "Can I ask how?" he asked after some time.

"I am not sure of the details, but you and two others died when the Gospel made its first real move" she explained, "After that particular battle, the survivors fractured and went their separate ways. Mother took me back home and focused on protecting Britain." While he was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to be telling him any of this, he wasn't about to interrupt her. "I spent most of my early life in the estate, and only began IS training when it became clear mother could not dissuade me from it. She…" At this point, she stopped and looked on the verge of tears. Simon could guess where this was heading and he wasn't looking forward to it, but at the same time there was a part of him that had to know. "She died, to, didn't she?" he asked, feeling his voice break. Maylin just nodded, and Simon felt like his world had just been thrown off-kilter. "And the other two who died with me?" "The French woman, Charlotte, when she defended Ichika from an attack from one of their IS, the Red Fairy," she answered, her voice already cracking and tears starting to run down her face, "And Ichika when he challenged the Red Fairy shortly after."

Rather than continue the conversation, he moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Maylin turned to him and buried her head in his chest just as she started to cry. "I miss her, Simon. I miss her so much" she sobbed. He just sat there, knowing full well the kind of pain she was feeling, and knowing full well there was nothing he could say to ease it.

* * *

The next day, Simon's class learned that another team-based tournament was going to be held at the end of their first semester. After giving it some thought, he knew exactly who to ask to be his partner. Once class was dismissed, he bolted for the door rather than give anyone a chance to ask him to partner with them. After a brief walk, he found the right classroom and waited as the students filed past. Most of them took little notice of him, one of the perks of being at the school for so long, but finally he saw the person he had been waiting on. "Kanzashi, you got a moment?" he asked as she left the room. While she looked startled that he would be waiting for her outside the room, she nodded. They walked out of the building and along the pathways for a bit in silence, just enjoying the day, although she was enjoying more than that.

"Do you have a partner for the tournament yet?" Simon asked finally, breaking her out of a slight daydream. Rather than answer him, she just shook her head as she felt her cheeks warming up a bit. This boy had made the effort to get to know her, something few had ever done before, and she definitely felt something strange for him over that. "How about pairing with me, then?" he asked, causing her to stop and look at him in confusion. She hadn't really planned on entering it in the first place, her IS wasn't nearly ready for that kind of test. When she told him, Simon just snickered as he continued to walk towards the hangers. "Then we're going to have to make it ready, aren't we?" Smiling, she hurried to catch up to him. Damn, his enthusiasm must be contagious.

However, before they could get to the bay that held their IS, Cecilia and Rin stopped them with looks of suspicion. "Hello, Simon" Cecilia said, crossing her arms. What he had done, or not done, to make her appear this mad was beyond him. "How was your talk with Maylin the other day?" Rin asked, clearly a little wary of Cecilia's change in attitude. "It was…informative, to say the least" he said, "Have you talked with her yet, Cecilia?" "And why would I do that? Because she claims I am her mother?" she shot back with a little ice in her voice. Finally, Simon took note of how she was standing; her arms crossed, her shoulders back and her weight on one foot. Even though he had only seen it a few times, he clearly recognized her don't-screw-with-me stance. "Kanzashi, would you like to take Rin and show her what you've been working on?" Simon said. While she didn't quite take the hint, Rin did. She walked over and grabbed Kanzashi, and with a concerned look at her friends she led her towards the bay.

After they had left, and Simon made sure no-one else was in the hallway with them, he turned to Cecilia and asked, "Is there something you want to ask me, princess?" "How about why you seem to be avoiding me?" "I'm not avoiding you, I've just had other things on my mind." "Like flirting with the sister of the student council president?" she shot back, causing Simon to falter slightly. "That's what you think this is? I'm just helping her with her IS. There's nothing else going on." "How do I know that? You haven't talked with me about anything sense we came back, Simon" she said, he demeanor finally starting to thaw. However, that last part, for some reason, hit a nerve with Simon. "What would you like to talk about then, huh? How about the fact that your daughter is here, someone that I, apparently, never get to meet?"

She looked a bit shocked at this, taking a step back and letting her arms drop. "Wh-what are you talking about? Of course you would have met her" she said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Really? Cause according to her I died two years after she was born. Which is just one of the little bomb shells she dropped on me about our future" he said, practically throwing it into her face. While he knew that he was going to feel terrible about this latter, for some reason he was pissed-off. While it wasn't about her, she was the closest target, and damnit, he couldn't keep this bottled-up much longer without chocking. "Or how about how two of our friends also died fighting these things? Would you like to hear how Ichika and Charlotte met their end?" he continued, no longer yelling at her, but more just shouting at the air in general, "And the best part? It appears that my _sister_ is the one responsible for all this shit! I didn't even know she was still alive, and she's going to be responsible for the deaths of three of my closest friends."

"What do you mean three?" Cecilia asked, noting the number. He had only mentioned two, but at hearing her question, he stopped dead and looked down. His anger had completely burned itself out by that point, the question like a hard slap. Turning towards the bay door, he said, "Nothing," before walking towards the door. "Simon" she called out, reaching out to stop him. "Cecilia, please, I just need some time. Okay?" he said, the pain clear in his voice. With that, he opened the door and walked into the bay, leaving behind a very hurt girl and feeling lower then pond scum for it.

 **Is this a crack opening up in their relationship? Will it ever be fixed? Can they avoid the fate they seem destined for? You'll have to wait till the next chapter. God, I feel like such an asshole ending on this note, but I can promise at least one of these issues will be resolved in the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12; The Point of No Return

The following day was, thankfully, a Saturday. Maylin had spent the better part of four hours looking for Simon, while trying not to make it obvious that she was looking for him. Finally, Ichika told her that he was at one of the stadiums. This led her to check all of them before finally finding him at stadium three. When she walked into the grounds, she saw a swarm of hologram targets zipping around the stadium with Simon floating in the middle, looking rather exhausted in his IS. Still, he said, "Fangs, fly!" and took a firm grip on his sword before charging in. The targets seemed to have been reprogrammed since Maylin was sure that they weren't designed to fire back, and yet they were throwing small energy blasts at him from every direction. With his ten fangs in the air, plus the fact that Simon was physically fighting, Maylin could only imagine the kind of strain he was putting on himself.

 _He's blaming himself for something_ she realized as he took a blast to the back, something he should have easily blocked. In fact, all of his movements were rather sluggish, suggesting that he had been at this for quite some time now. And yet, he pressed on, clearing the targets at a slow but steady rate before three landed blows that dropped his shields to critical. At that point, a buzzer went off and the targets stopped moving before disappearing altogether. Landing and destructing his IS, Simon fell onto his back and lay there, panting. "Tough training session?" Maylin asked as she walked up to stand over his head. Looking up at the girl, he noticed that she wasn't wearing her uniform. Rather, she was wearing a rather plain white shirt, a blue overcoat and baggy grey pants. "Going out?" he asked as he sat back up.

"No, I was just looking for you," she replied, "I was wondering if we could talk some more." "Alright," he said as he got up and faced her, "Then how about telling me who taught you how to fight?" She was a little stunned by that question, and took several seconds to answer. "If you are asking me if I had a proper teacher, I did not." "So you're self-taught?" She just nodded at that, and Simon sighed before turning and walking away a few steps. Turning back to her, he said simply, "Show me," before taking up his own stance. Maylin stood there for a few seconds, looking at him in confusion. After realizing that he was serious, she brought her own hands up like a boxer and turned to the left slightly. Before she could blink, Simon was in front of her with his fist stopping just in front of her head. "You're reaction speed needs work," he observed as he lowered his hand.

With a rather evil smile, she brought her hands up and grabbed his wrist. Twisting it, she turned him around and pinned his arm behind his back before looping one arm around his neck. "Better," he said before he brought his other hand up and grabbed the arm around his neck. Twisting her wrist, he broke her hold and spun around, landing an open handed strike in her stomach and knocking the breath out of her. Before she could recover, he was on her again, throwing several punches and swipes. While he stopped before hitting her, she was slowly getting better at blocking him. She even managed to land a few blows herself, although she didn't stop short like he did. After dodging a swipe at her head, she stepped back and tried to bring her left foot into his side. Catching that leg, he used his foot to sweep her other leg out from under her and let her weight drag the two of them down. Pinning her other leg between his knees, he used his left hand to pin her right arm down.

"Not too bad, Maylin," he said as they looked at each other, their faces not much more than a few inches apart. After the adrenaline wore off, they both blushed rather badly as they realized how close they were, and the position they were in. After scrambling off her, Simon stood up and looked away, feeling rather embarrassed at what he had just done. Maylin, surprisingly, recovered quicker than he did, asking, "How did you learn how to fight?" "I had a very good teacher," he answered, feeling his cheeks finally starting to cool, "Also, it helps that I hang out with the people that I do." "Rin does make life interesting," Maylin agreed. They both laughed at that, finally easing the tension from earlier.

"Alright, I might not know much about using guns," Simon said as he summoned his IS again, "But I'd better teach you how to use those swords properly." "Am I really that bad with them?" Maylin asked, looking a little depressed. "No, but you don't have much of a technique. Weapons like that take some getting used to," he explained as she summoned her own IS. The next few hours were spent teaching her the proper stances, as well as how to use them as extensions of her arm for punches and as proper swords. By the time they had ended the training, any tension left between the two had disappeared.

* * *

The next few weeks were spent refining Kanzashi's IS, training with Maylin, and struggling with the dilemma that Simon now found himself with. No matter how he looked at the problem, he would have to pick between those that he trusted and his sister. Regardless of her intentions, her actions had clearly put her at odds with the Academy, which wouldn't stop until she was captured. However, he was also trying to figure out how she had gotten support. The Harpies he could almost explain away as throw-away weapons designed for combat support, but that just raised the question of where they had been built, and by whom. There was also the issue of the other specialized IS he had encountered, the Spider. It clearly was something more, and looked like it could also have a pilot. But he was sure that Sarah was dead. He had attended her funeral, seen the body.

And yet, there was a voice in the back of his mind that kept nagging him with what-ifs. What if she hadn't died? What if she was spirited away for a secret project and the body he saw was a clever double? What if it was someone playing a clever mind-game to screw with him? He couldn't come up with any answers that he was satisfied with, and he knew that being with Cecilia would only compound these feelings of frustration. And so, despite the pain it was causing the both of them, he continued to keep his distance. After several days of this, Rin finally called him on his behavior.

Rin had managed to get him alone after class, which was rare since he was trying to keep busy. "Do you even realize what you're doing to her?" she finally asked. Instead of answering, Simon just continued to walk towards the IS hangers. "I'm talking to you, idiot!" she yelled as she jumped up and landed a double-kick between his shoulder blades, causing him to fall face-first into the ground. "Ow! The hell is wrong with you, shrimp?" he asked after he got back up, rubbing his chin. "What's wrong with me?!" she shot back, looking absolutely furious, "What's wrong with YOU? You've been avoiding Cecilia for weeks now, and even Ichika has noticed something is wrong." Looking down, he mumbled, "It's nothing," before he tried to get back up. Instead, Rin reached out and slapped him, hard.

Simon just sat there, holding his cheek and looking at her, stunned. Grabbing his collar, she shouted, "She loves you, you moron! And you're treating her like THIS?!" That got his attention as he looked at her. Reaching up, he grabbed her wrists and slowly pulled them off his shirt. "Rin, I understand what you're trying to do," he said as he got back up, "But, it's a bit more complicated than that." "How can it be too complicated? You two clearly love each other! What more is there to know?" she demanded, refusing to back down. "And how do you know we stay together, huh?" he asked, feeling his control starting to slip, "Is it because her daughter is here? Because she told me that her father died two years after she was born. Also that she had never known me. So, what does that tell you?"

Stunned, she looked away as she saw the pain in her friend's eyes. _He's not being cruel_ she realized as she backed away, still refusing to meet his gaze, _he's just in serious pain and confused_. "Well, if you need to talk, I'm here," she said before turning and walking off. Standing there, Simon mentally kicked himself for that outburst. _Goddamnit, why am I taking this out on everyone else_ he wondered as he continued towards the IS hangers. Thinking it over, he grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Kanzashi, telling her he couldn't make it today. Then, he turned and walked towards the dorms. He was just not in the mood to be around people today.

After a short elevator ride, he walked into his room to find Tatenashi sitting on his bed. "This is becoming a bad habit," he observed as he walked into the room and closed the door, "So, where's Ichika at?" "I suggested that he spend his Saturday outside," she said, looking innocent. "Are you here to give me advice, to?" "If by advice, you mean asking why you have been avoiding the girl you care about, then yes," she responded, getting up and walking over. "Tatenashi, I'm really not in the mo-" he began before she cut him off by placing her fan over his mouth. "You're not here to talk, you're here to listen," she said, looking serious, "I count you among the few people that I can truly call a friend. You are one of the kindest people I have ever met, and you help people without any thought of a reward." "And how do you figure that?" he asked, causing her to glare at him briefly. Lowering her fan, she turned around and walked away a few steps.

"When I asked you to help my sister, you never once asked for a reward. Not when I asked, and not once since then," she concluded, turning around and smiling. Not willing to try and point out any flaws in her logic, he just crossed his arms and waited for her to continue. "As a friend, I want to make sure that you are safe and happy. Which isn't going to happen if you keep ignoring that British girl," she said. "Tatenashi, it's not that simple," he said as he sat down on his bed. Sitting next to him, she said, "Tell me," making it clear that it wasn't an option. Relenting, he figured that this girl was a safer confident than Rin. Telling her everything he had learned, starting with the Gospel and ending with what he had learned from Maylin. By the end, he felt better than he would have thought he would.

They sat there for a few minutes as Tatenashi thought over what he had told her, trying to come up with her own answers. And yet, she found herself coming up with nothing, which frustrated her in a way few things had ever done. She hadn't failed at much in her life, something which she was fairly proud of. In fact, she could count her failures on one hand without reaching five. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she glared at the wall as she tried to rework it in her head. Looking at her, Simon noticed how she looked frustrated as hell that she couldn't figure this out. For some reason, he found that unbelievably funny and started to laugh. Quietly at first, so as to avoid attention, but it soon grew louder as he clutched his stomach.

"What's so funny?" she asked, glaring at him. This just caused him to laugh harder, finally causing him to fall off the bed. Lying on the floor, he finally managed to collect himself and sit back up. Tatenashi was still looking rather annoyed at him, and this almost caused him to break into another fit of laughter. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Thanks, Tatenashi. I didn't know that I needed that, but I did." "Always glad to help," she said, returning to her cheerful self. Getting up and walking past him, she stopped briefly to say, "Now, go apologize to her," before continuing out the door. Taking another deep breath, he decided to follow her advice and left the room. It was time that he stopped putting this off.

Taking a moment to remember where she was, Simon called the elevator to travel to the second floor. However, when the doors opened, he was met with the sight of Maylin who looked rather surprised to see him. "S-Simon, I was not expecting…" she began. "Nether was I," he responded as he joined her in the elevator. "So, where are you heading?" "I was actually looking for moth- I mean, Cecilia. She does not like me calling her that," Maylin said, looking a little ashamed. "She's not in her room?" he asked, receiving a shake of the head as a response. "Well, then we'd better find her then," he said as he pushed the button for the lobby. They walked out the doors of the dorm building, talking idly and enjoying the weather when all hell broke loose.

* * *

Cecilia had been in one of the stadiums with Houki, training to maintain her accuracy. While most would be trying to improve, she was aware that she was already a crack shot. At this point, maintaining that level of skill was her primary focus. After taking out three targets in rapid succession, she noticed that Houki was standing off to the side and watching her. "What?" she asked, in no real mood to be messed with. "I was just wondering if you were picturing _his_ face on those targets," Houki said, walking over to her. While she wasn't the most skilled at romance, she was well aware of how her friend felt about Simon. "I don't know what you mean," Cecilia said, looking away, "If that idiot wants to act like nothing ever happened, that's his business. Why should it bother me?"

While she was trying to act indifferent, there was clearly pain in her voice. "Cecilia, can we please stop acting like we have something to prove to each other?" Houki asked. Cecilia just stood there, looking at her rifle like there was something wrong with it. Finally, she asked, "Was it something that I did, Houki? Did I say or do something to push him away?" Finally deciding that formality can screw itself, Houki walked over and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. While it was a little awkward in their IS, it still carried enough meaning for Cecilia to know what she meant. "You didn't do anything wrong, Cecilia," she told her, smiling slightly, "In fact, I wish I had half the guts that you did, considering what Rin and Charlotte have told me." Cecilia just got a little redder at that, even though she shouldn't have been as embarrassed about a simple kiss.

They stood there for a moment before an explosion grabbed their attention. Before they could even think, several more explosions ripped through several of the buildings between them and the water. One of them just happened to tear through the south-facing wall, allowing several machines to launch themselves through the cloud of rubble. They looked like large cats with guns mounted on their shoulder blades. Taking a second to zero-in on them, the cats launched themselves at the two girls, spreading out and letting loose with their guns. Thankfully, they only hesitated for a moment before they moved to fight back; Houki moving in front of Cecilia and summoning her swords, Cecilia deploying her laser bits and sighting up on one of the closer ones. Houki charged the three in the center as Cecilia opened fire on the two on the sides, taking one out in one shot and taking the others tail off.

In three quick slashes, Houki managed to dispatch the three in front of her with ease as the last one leapt at her from the side. Before it could land any kind of blow, it was skewered by another beam as Cecilia blew its heart out. "Where the heck did these come from?" Houki asked, looking towards the hole. Before Cecilia could answer, they noticed several other explosions and the sound of gunfire across the area. Looking up, they noticed that several of the staff and some of the students were engaging a number of Harpies. "We need to find the others and figure out what's going on," Cecilia said as she turned towards the main tower and took off.

Before they could even leave the stadium, a communication window opened in front of them, showing a rather pissed off Chifuyu. "Attention, all staff and students. The Academy grounds are currently under attack. All staff rated for IS use are to move towards the south-side docks and repel the attackers. All students are to head for the main tower. Any personal IS user willing to assist are to open a link on the following channel to receive their orders," she said before sending over a channel frequency. Looking at each other, they nodded and opened a channel. Their friends would be safe, they were sure. It was important to stop this attack first.

* * *

Simon and Maylin had summoned their IS when they heard the first explosion. Without waiting for Chifuyu's broadcast, they immediately took flight and began fighting back the Harpies that they could find. The two blondes were quickly joined by Laura, who looked rather pissed off that someone would dare to attack _her_ school. The cannon on her shoulder belched fire as she flung shells after the enemy, tearing them apart and sending their remains flying towards the ground. One Harpy got close and tried to stab her with a sword, only to be stopped cold by her AIC. Looking at the pesky machine in contempt, she used one of her wrist mounted blades and sliced its head in two. "Would someone care to explain where these things came from?" she asked, looking over at Simon and Maylin. She shook her head, and Simon just shrugged as he moved to sweep the warehouses.

That was the point when they noticed a rather large machine battling two of the teachers. It had four legs and two massive particle cannons mounted on its forearms. Combined with the fact that it was easily twice the size of a normal IS, the thing had a distinct advantage over the two teachers. "Maylin, Laura, go take care of that thing," Simon said, "I'm going to go find the others." Without even waiting for a response, Simon took off while he brought up an open channel. "Cecilia, Houki, Rin, Charlotte, Ichika. If any of you guys can hear me, respond," he said, praying they were all okay. "Rin here, idiot," she responded, sounding a bit winded and a little annoyed, "I'm with Charlotte near stadium four. We're buying time for the other students to get to the main tower." Simon breathed a little easier at that, since stadium four was on the extreme edge of the assault, judging by what he saw.

"Simon, are you okay?" Ichika asked. "I'm fine. I'm with Laura and Maylin. We seem to be on the left end of their advance," he responded, "Where are you?" "I think we're somewhere in the middle. I'm with Houki and Cecilia, and these things just keep coming. Oh, crap!" Suddenly Ichika was cut off as something attacked him. _Damn, damn!_ Simon thought as he raced to meet with them. Thankfully, he had gotten a good fix on their location, and they were indeed right in the middle of the advance. He arrived at the remains of the stadium Houki and Cecilia had been practicing in just in time to see a pair of new IS enter the battle.

The one out front looked like an odd version of a knight; it had a massive shield and a broadsword, but no other obvious weapons. The second one caused Simon's blood to run cold; with a red, orange and gold color scheme, it had fairy wings and held a pair of javelins. This one was, without a doubt, the Red Fairy that Maylin had talked about. It stayed back and observed while the knight IS charged in and swung at Houki. She brought her swords up in a cross-block and stopped it short, but judging from the way she was straining the IS was putting considerable strength behind that sword. As Ichika moved to help her, the Fairy acted, raising one of its javelins and firing a beam out of the tip, blowing the bluenette back into the stadium wall. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a duel, little boy?" it asked him, the mocking tone clear in its voice.

Without any hesitation, Simon charged the Fairy, almost catching it off-guard. However, it jumped back at the last second and thrust one of its javelins at his stomach. Thankfully, he brought his shield up and deflected the blow, leaving them staring at each other as they stood there. Cocking its head to the side, it seemed that the Fairy was analyzing him, which was odd. _Shouldn't it know everything about me already?_ He wondered. "Ah, now I remember you," it finally said, "You're the Gospel's brother. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Simon Felix. You don't know how much effort you've saved us." "And how's that?" he demanded, bringing his shield up in front of him and preparing to charge it. "There's no need for that," it said, lowering its javelins slightly, "Just come with us and you can avoid any further destruction."

In response, Simon charged the IS, bringing his sword down in an overhead swing. The Fairy blocked it with one javelin, and if it was possible to look annoyed when you had a full helmet on, it managed to do it. "Maybe I should rephrase that," it said, bringing the other trident up and blasting him in the stomach, "I should have said that resisting is of no use. You WILL come with us, whether you like it or not." "Not going to happen, bitch!" They heard before a beam impacted the side of its head, sending the Fairy down. Looking up, Simon saw Cecilia looking furious. As she prepared another blast, though, the Knight IS flew up to attack her, leaving Ichika and Houki down in the dust. Thinking quickly, Simon triggered his Phoenix Shift and boosted to intercept it, crashing into its side and sending it into the stands.

The two IS seemed to have vanished at that point, although their underlings were eager to fight them as 6 Harpy and a dozen of those cat creatures swarmed into the stadium. With his Shift active, Simon moved faster than the Harpies could track, quickly slicing three into pieces before Cecilia took out her first. Turning back to face her, he spotted what looked like a navy ship in the harbor. It looked like an amphibious assault ship, but it was smoother, more refined. It also had a pair of massive particle cannons mounted on the front, one of which was swiveling to target Cecilia. Kicking his IS into its top speed, Simon just barely managed to get between her and the gun with his shield up as it fired. The beam hit him full-force, engulfing him in smoke and hurting like hell.

"Simon!" Cecilia yelled, completely forgetting about the battle raging around her. She was prepared to dive into that cloud, the dangers be damned, when he reversed out of it, causing her to gasp at the damage he had received. The left arm of his IS had several cracks along the armor, the shield was warped with the tip of it completely blown off, and his Phoenix Shift had been forcibly disengaged by the damage. The rest of his IS was in relatively good condition, but his shield energy was near critical. Landing, he released the clamps holding his now useless solid shield in place and let the thing clatter to the ground. "Simon, are you okay?" she asked as she landed next to him. When he turned to respond, the Fairy reappeared behind him, kicking him aside and lunging at Cecilia with one of its javelins, ready to run her through.

Time seemed to slow down as the Fairy approached her. She didn't have the time to bring her rifle up to shoot, or deploy her bits, so she brought the gun up flat, trying to deflect the javelin to one side. As the weapons made contact, the javelin went clean through the rifle, shattering it in the process. While Cecilia reached up to stop the weapon with her hand, she tried to dodge to the side, but was too slow. The tip of the javelin impacted the shields around her left shoulder, causing them to spark briefly before it passed through them. The armor underneath was little match as the tip pierced it, too, to say nothing of the flesh beneath that as the javelin continued into her shoulder.

While she managed to stop it from going clean through, a good two inches of it was now embedded in her, causing her to cry out in pain, and forcing her back a few steps. Leaning in closer so they were face to mask, the IS said, "You will pay for shooting me, little girl," before it brought its other javelin up to ram through her chest. Before it could finish her, Simon brought his sword down on the javelin that was pinning Cecilia down, cutting it in two and forcing the Fairy back. Taking up a position between the two of them, he said, "If you want this girl, you go through me first." He could practically see the smile as it brought its other javelin up in a mock salute. "Very well."

 **As the title says, this is definitely the point of no return. It's war now, people, and whether you've realized it or not, this enemy is playing for keeps. Will they manage to fend off this attack? Will Simon be able to defeat the Red Fairy and possibly save his friends from their fate? Will he and Cecilia ever get back together? Till the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13; Captive

Standing between Cecilia and the Red Fairy, Simon took stock of what he had remaining. That blast had slagged his shield and had also shattered the controls for the blade on that arm. The two fangs on his left hip had also taken damage, and the readout showed that their flight systems were down. So he was now reduced to eight fangs, his sword and the blades on his legs and right arm. However, he had no clue what other kinds of weapons this thing had on it. _Screw it_ he thought as he launched his remaining fangs and charged the Fairy. Better to go all-in at this point then wait for this to get worse, especially since that Knight IS still hadn't shown back up yet. To his surprise, the Fairy had the four points on its wings detach and move to meet his fangs before they started firing at them.

Before he could react they had blown three of his fangs out of the air. Meanwhile, the Fairy had brought its remaining javelin up to block his strike. Stopping the swing at the last second, he pivoted on his right foot and brought his left up in a kick, deploying the blade as he went. But, the Fairy just brought its hand up and stopped his food dead before thrusting forward with its javelin. Jumping back, Simon took flight to avoid the bits it had deployed and recalled his remaining five fangs. The Fairy, however, wasn't about to give him any breathing room as it launched after him and swiped at him with its javelin. He blocked the swipe, only to have it kick him in the side before it began to take more swipes at him. He managed to block most of the attacks and dodge the others, but he was being driven back with no room to retaliate.

Before he knew it, the thing had backed him into the wall. _Crap_ he thought as it tried to stab his head. Ducking to his right, he lunged forward and brought his sword into the Fairy's side. He felt the blade hit home and the teeth bite into the metal, but the Fairy calmly reached down and grabbed his wrist. With strength he wasn't aware that it possessed, it pulled his sword away from its side, revealing a gash in its armor but no serious wound. Glancing at the cut, it then looked at him and said, "You will have to do better than that," before it head-butted him and tossed him aside.

Landing on the stadium floor, hard, he briefly saw stars as he tried to stay conscious. _How can that thing be so damned powerful?_ he wondered as he got back up. "Simon, you need to get out of there!" Cecilia told him over an open link. Looking back, he saw that she had managed to slow the bleeding and that she had been reduced to her laser bits. "And why would I run when I'm winning here?" he shot back before something occurred to him. _Wait, shouldn't the Absolute Barrier have stopped that attack?_ he wondered briefly before the Fairy was on him again. At that point, it was all he could do to avoid being skewered as it pressed its obvious advantage.

* * *

Maylin and Laura had been trying to close on the large mech that had invaded the island, but it had been keeping them at bay with a near constant salvo of missiles and energy blasts. Dodging another wave, Maylin asked, "How many of those does that thing have?" "Judging from the size of the missiles, the size of the missile cells, and how many it uses in each wave, I would guess that it has another 3 volleys left," Laura answered as she tried to line up another shot. She had succeeded in blowing one of its arms off, but the constant stream of missiles was keeping her from getting another shot in. Cursing, she was forced to give up a promising head shot as it launched yet another wave.

"We need to end this, Maylin," she said as she caught a pair of the missiles. "I thought you would never ask," Maylin responded as her helmet deployed, covering her head and making her look rather menacing. Switching her rifles to their sword-mode, she dodged a pair of missiles before rocketing towards the mech. Before it could bring its remaining cannon to bear, she had sliced through two of its legs, sending it toppling towards the ground. Laura took advantage of the opening to send a shell into its chest, gutting the thing.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" she asked as Maylin joined her, slightly annoyed. "I had to be sure that it did not have any other close-in weapons," she responded before heading off in the direction that Simon had left in. However, before she got more than a few meters, several Harpies swarmed her and she couldn't avoid the fight. As she methodically worked her way through them, feelings of unease began to well up in her. She couldn't really explain it, but she was getting a very bad feeling about this whole battle.

According to the records she had been given by her teacher, the Tabane she had known, this raid had been carried out during her mother's _final_ year, not this soon. _Am I to blame for this?_ she wondered as she rocketed over the smoldering wreckage of buildings. Thankfully, the staff and students had managed to drive back the attackers, although several firefights were still raging. It was going to take a long time for the Academy to recover from this attack, not to mention the diplomatic fallout from such a brazen assault. _I just hope I am not too late._

* * *

Sliding back a few feet from the kick he had just received, Simon fought with every fiber of his being to remain standing as he glared at his opponent. The Fairy had managed to knock his sword away, as well as destroy his last fangs. Now it just stood watching him expectantly as he deployed his wrist-mounted blade. Looking at his shield energy, he saw that he had around 5% left, definitely not enough for another blow of _any_ kind. However, he wasn't in much shape to take another blow, ether. A rather nasty cut on his forehead was threatening to partially blind him with how bad it was bleeding, to say nothing about the other cuts across his body from this things attacks. Risking a glance to his side, he saw that the Knight had returned and was battling Houki and Ichika again, so help from them was out.

"Simon, please!" Cecilia begged. She had attempted to help him with her laser bits. But, the Fairy had destroyed them in short order and blasted her wings and left leg, effectively leaving her crippled and unable to fly, let alone stand. "Damnit, I'm not telling you again!" he shouted, feeling his frustration finally boiling over, "I _will not_ leave you behind! Got it?" "How touching," the Fairy said before it charged him again. Blocking its swipe at his head with his left arm, Simon brought his right one forward and managed to connect with its left shoulder, piercing the armor. He had expected to hit flesh and bone, but instead he saw circuits sparking and slashed metal. This stunned him long enough for it to knee him in the stomach and leap back, clutching at the hole he had made in its armor.

"What the hell are you?!" he demanded, standing up and looking at it again. "More than you can imagine," it responded, "Now then, I think it's time we wrapped things up here. Crusade!" At this, the Knight IS lashed out and knocked Ichika into the wall. Rounding on Houki, who had charged at its back, it brought its shield up and triggered a hidden weapon. The end of its shield folded out and a cannon barrel extended before blasting her full in the chest. Armor and shreds of her pilot suit flew away, as well as blood, as Houki fell to the ground; her IS destructing from the major damage and leaving a bleeding, unconscious girl behind. "HOUKI!" Ichika yelled, streaking out of the crater he had made in the wall.

However, he stopped short as the Knight landed, aiming at her unconscious form in a silent threat. Before Simon could even think of helping, the Fairy had kicked him to the side before landing in front of Cecilia and pointing its own javelin in her face. "Now then, Simon," it began, the mocking tone clear, "You will destruct your IS and surrender. Or…" It left the rest of that question hanging, leaving it to him to fill in the rest. Looking between Cecilia, Houki and Ichika, he weighed his very limited options. "Why am I so damned important to you?" he asked, hoping to buy time. "Nice try, Felix, but that's not going to happen. You have ten seconds to make up your mind," the Fairy responded, already powering up its javelin. "Simon…" Cecilia said, finally looking away from the almost certain death staring at her.

"Seven, six, five…" "Alright!" he finally said, raising his hands, "Alright." With an explosive sigh, he destructed his IS and stood with his arms away from his sides. "Good choice," it said as it walked over to him. The Knight remained where it stood, staring at Ichika, who in turn was staring back, clearly wanting to rip it apart. "Simon, no!" Cecilia said, trying to stand back up, "You can't!" Rather than say anything, he just stared at the Fairy as it came closer. In one quick move, it brought its free hand down and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Catching the back of his suit before he hit the ground, it slung him over its shoulder before turning to the others.

"You follow us, and I cannot guarantee his well-being," it said before taking flight. The Knight followed shortly after, leaving Ichika with two wounded friends and feeling completely helpless. As they were leaving the arena, Laura and Maylin showed up to back-up their friends. Looking at the two wounded, Maylin glanced up and saw them carrying away Simon. Feelings of guilt welled up inside her, things she had believed she had buried deep. _No, not again_ she pleaded as she landed, _not again!_ "Father!"

* * *

Simon awoke in a twin-sized bed, his arms shackled to a ring in the wall and his IS' stand-by removed. His wounds had been treated, and judging from the stiffness he had been out for a few days. Looking around at his room he saw that it was rather basic; a toilet, sink, a single light and a chair in one corner, but no window. The door was metal and solid, no window or slide in it, so he couldn't see out into the hall, either. _So, looks like we're playing the waiting game_ he thought, but was surprised when he heard a latch being lifted on the door. Two girls in plain jumpsuits walked into his room, one carrying a covered tray, the other carrying a stick with two prongs on the end. This wasn't as interesting to him as their choice in head wear; both girls had on a grey headband with a small jewel in the center. They also had a blank look, like they weren't thinking of anything.

"Good timing with the food," he said, receiving silence in response. The girl with the food set the tray down on the chair and turned to leave. When Simon moved to get up, the other girl raised her stick menacingly, and he just sat there with his hands up. They left the cell and slid whatever bolt back into place, leaving him alone once again. Getting up, he walked over to the tray and removed the lid, revealing a sandwich, apple and a glass of water. "Well, it's not five-star," he said, feeling his stomach rumble, "But it'll do."

After he had eaten, he took a more thorough look around his cell but found no obvious exits. It was frustratingly barren, while the furniture was well put together so breaking it to use parts as weapons was out of the question. _Not that it would do me any good, considering my enemies_ he thought as he sat back down. And while he was on that subject, there was something odd about them. He had been sure that he was fighting people like him; a.k.a., IS pilots. But when he pierced that thing's armor, he just hit more metal and circuits, which didn't make any sense. _It could have been a well-programmed drone weapon, maybe even an AI_ he mused, _but, it didn't_ behave _like a program, so what are they?_

The answer was surprisingly forthcoming as his door opened again to reveal the very thing he had been thinking off, the Red Fairy. Walking up to him, it held its hand out and said, "Your wrists please." Rather than say something smart-ass and risk it hitting him, he complied. It quickly removed the cuffs and motioned for him to walk in front of it. The Fairy led him out of the cell and down several hallways. Along the way, he spotted several more women with the same strange headbands and blank looks. "So, what's with the walking mannequins?" he asked. "Initiates," it answered simply before prodding him in the back. "You were very talkative earlier. Was it something I said?" he said, deciding to press his luck. "Because before you were a worthy opponent," it responded without breaking stride, "Now, you're just our little toy." _Keep dreaming_ he thought.

Finally, they arrived in a room that looked strikingly like an IS maintenance bay, complete with his dismantled IS. "What the hell have you been doing to my suit?" he demanded, forgetting where he was for a second. Grabbing his shoulder, the Fairy dragged him over to a chair and pushed him down into it. "Stay," it said simply before turning around and walking over to the IS. Something else stood up near it, and Simon recognized the Spider IS he had seen in the park. "Nice to see you again, lover boy," it said before it reached into the innards of his IS and removed a disk with a ball in the center. It took Simon a moment to place it, sense it was a part of the suit he rarely ever worked on, but it came to him soon enough.

"What the hell are you doing to my core?" he asked, standing up and prepared to take the damned thing away. That was _the_ most important part of his suit, bar none, and they had just _yanked it out_. "I said SIT," the Fairy said again, making it clear that there was no room for debate. Taking the core from the Spider, the Fairy walked over to a computer station on a wheeled cart before bringing the entire setup over to his chair. Placing the core into a tray on one end, it picked up several electrodes and began sticking them onto his head and chest. "What are you doing?" he asked, too interested in whatever the hell this was to interrupt. "We're measuring your compatibility," it answered before turning back to the computer and starting up some kind of program, "The Gospel may have high hopes for you, but we still don't know if you will survive the procedure."

 _That's encouraging_ he thought as he asked, "What kind of procedure?" "Better if you asked her than me," it responded as it read whatever was on the screen. Any further attempts at conversation were met with silence, so Simon just sat there while it ran whatever tests it was running. A few minutes later, they were joined by another machine; the Gospel, Simon's sister. "Did you have a good nap?" it asked as it walked over to examine the screen, "You were out cold for two days." " _Two days_?!" he shouted, fighting the urge to stand up again, "How did I sleep for two days?" "A blow to the back of the head can do that," the Gospel responded, looking at the Fairy. Walking around the computer, it kneeled down in front of him so they were eye-to-eye. "Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad to see you again, brother."

"And how many people did your friends hurt for this little reunion, huh?" he asked, deciding that formalities and niceties could go screw themselves, he was getting some damned answers. It jerked its head back slightly, almost looking shocked at him. "You should know that my orders were to keep destruction to a minimum, and that no one was to be killed," it responded, sounding hurt. "Then why did your knight put one of my friends in the hospital? Why did _this one_ put a hole in the shoulder of the girl I care about?" he shot back, pointing at the Fairy. When the Gospel looked up at the Fairy for an answer, it responded, "He was uncooperative, and we were pressed for time. I did what was necessary."

"Necessary? How are they going to leave us in peace now?" the Gospel demanded, shooting back to its feet. "And how was raiding their IS Academy going to help that in the first place?" the Fairy shot back, looking the Gospel square in the eye, "We're already responsible for the deaths of dozens. If it takes a few more for them to get the message, then so be it." "We're not having this discussion _again_." As they continued on, Simon felt awkward listening to the argument. Clearly, they weren't as united as he had thought. "We're not having this talk right now," the Gospel concluded with and explosive sigh, "Is he compatible with the core or isn't he?" "Why does it even matter?" Simon asked, but was ignored. After typing a few commands, the Fairy looked up and said, "Yes, he is compatible. Happy now, Gospel?"

"I told you, my name is Sarah," it responded before kneeling in front of Simon again, "Good news, brother. You can become one of us. You can be more." "What does that mean?" he asked, feeling his patience wearing thin, "What are you?" "Well, that might take a while to explain," the Gospel responded. Simon just nodded and crossed his arms, prepared to sit for as long as it took. "Okay, then I should start at the beginning. Do you remember the accident?" it asked, causing Simon to wince, "Well, the researchers discovered that during the explosion, a massive amount of energy was transferred to my head. They believe that because the IS core was so close to my head, that it absorbed the energy as it passed through my brain, making a physical copy of the brainwaves inside the core itself. Are you with me so far?"

Simon just sat there for a moment as he tried to process what he had just heard. "So, you're telling me," he began, fighting down the tremor in his voice, "that the explosion I saw somehow copied your thoughts and memories into your IS' core?" When it nodded, Simon looked over at the other two IS. "And the same thing happened to you two?" "Technically, yes, although the circumstances were different," the Fairy answered, "We were 'selected' to prove that their theory about the mind transfer was accurate. It didn't always work." "What do you mean?" "You remember those other machines that were with them?" the Spider asked, walking up behind the Gospel and crossing its arms, "They are the result of experiments to build new cores, and are populated with the leftovers of their mind-transfer project."

Looking back at the Gospel, he was about to ask when it answered what it knew was his next question. "Not all minds can handle that kind of transfer, Simon," it explained, "Some lose pieces of themselves, like their memories. Others fragment completely and are unusable for regular IS. But, they can be used as cannon fodder." Simon just sat there, letting all of that sink in. The longer he thought about it, the more he felt his anger bubbling to the surface and threatening to drown him. _They took my sister for this? To treat as a lab rat?_ he thought as he clutched his head. "It seems he understands, Gospel," the Fairy commented. Finally, he managed, "Who was it? Who ordered this?" "You don't have to worry about them, Simon. We dealt with it." At the coldness in its voice, he looked up at the Gospel. That wasn't his sister, that was something else. _They can lose pieces of themselves, so what could she have lost?_

* * *

Sitting on the rooftop plaza of the hotel, Maylin struggled to get her racing thoughts under control. She had completely closed herself off from the others two days ago after her little outburst, avoiding Ichika, Laura and Cecilia like they had the plague. This was not as hard as you would think it would be, considering their current situation. After the attack, the Academy had canceled classes for the time being and sent most of the student body home. Houki and Cecilia had been sent to a hospital on the mainland for treatment, although whether Houki would wake up or not was unclear at this point.

Ichika had carried her to the main tower himself, unaware of, or just not caring about, the fact that the blast she had taken had virtually removed the entire front of her pilot suit and exposed more skin that she would have been comfortable with. When they transferred her to the hospital, he had insisted on going with her, and the rest of his friends had as well. As such, Chifuyu had booked them rooms in the nearest hotel to rest and recover while they took turns watching over Houki while she recovered. Cecilia had received treatment for her injuries, which hadn't been as bad as they initially thought, but she had to wear a sling for her left arm for the time being. Everyone else had received minor scrapes and bruises, but the worst part was that the usually energetic group was extremely depressed.

 _And all of this is my fault_ Maylin thought for the hundredth time. When she had arrived in this timeline, she had decided that her best course of action was to eliminate the Gospel as soon as possible. But when she had arrived at the test facility to destroy it and end this nightmare before it could begin, she had been surprised to find three other units like it. They had overpowered her and used the confusion of her attack to escape the facility, killing several of the staff in the process. Then, days later, they had gone after her parents. Whether they knew who she was or not, that felt like a personal attack, and it had driven her to reveal herself or risk losing them again.

And then, after she had met her father and was finally getting to know him, they had returned. In one swift attack, they had taken him from her, again. _How many times will this happen?_ she wondered as she felt tears welling up again, _am I doomed to have this happen again and again? Is this my punishment for failure?_ Before she could slide much deeper into these dark thoughts, she heard someone open the door behind her. Turning, she saw that it was Cecilia, looking rather surprised to find her here. "Oh, Maylin! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," she said, looking rather embarrassed. "No, it is okay, mot- I mean, Cecilia. Sorry," she said, turning back around and wiping the tears away.

Her attempt at playing it off wasn't going to fool her. Cecilia could plainly hear the pain in her voice. While she had never spent time around the girl, it wasn't because she had hated her. Maylin's presence simply caused too many confusing thoughts to surface, and rather than try and deal with them, Cecilia had decided on avoiding her. _Which is definitely_ not _what she needs right now_ Cecilia thought as she walked up behind her. Sitting next to her, she asked, "What's wrong, dear?" "Nothing is wrong." "Don't try and lie. A mother always knows when her child lies." "I thought you said that you were not my mother?" Maylin asked, looking at her and smiling slightly. "W-well, I did," Cecilia stammered, feeling those confusing thoughts coming back, "So, how about we just remain as friends?" Maylin just nodded and looked away again, though she still looked absolutely awful.

"So, what's bothering you?" she asked, putting her hand on Maylin's shoulder, "I promise, it will stay between the two of us." After thinking for a few moments, she asked, "Cecilia, am I a screw up?" Cecilia was taken back for a moment, surprised that this girl would even ask such a question. "Why do you ask?" "Because everything I do just seems to make things worse. I came back to stop this, and I accelerated their timetable. I try to save fa- Simon, and he just gets taken away," she said, feeling the tears coming back. "I remember what you said, Maylin. Is it true? That he's your father?" Cecilia asked, watching as Maylin just hunched over. "I should not have said anything. Actually, I should never have told you, but… I missed you so much."

After calming herself, she looked at Cecilia and asked, "Did Simon tell you what we discussed a few weeks ago?" "About what happens to some of us?" she asked, thinking back to the conversation they had had, "He did, but he was fairly vague about it. He said something happens to Ichika and Charlotte, but not much else. He did say that there was a third person, but didn't mention a name." At that, Maylin stiffened slightly, feeling that particular memory rising to the surface. Looking down and fiddling with her dress, she decided that it would be better to share this with her mother than let it drown her. Funny how this was the same way she had decided to share this with her father.

"Charlotte and Ichika had married not long after graduation," she began, not noticing the slight shock on Cecilia's face, "They had been together for a long time, and had moved to France. When the Gospel and its forces began to make themselves known, they targeted European countries first. France took a serious blow, and they had tried to help, but…" She couldn't continue, not after getting to know those two and how kind they were. "You and father had gone to Britain, and were focused on its defense. Two years after I was born, he went off to help Tabane when the Gospel raided one of her labs. Tabane returned with a nasty scar on her cheek, but father had… He had stayed behind to buy time for the transport to escape, and they…" She stopped again, feeling like the emotions welling up were going to choke her. "Something happened to me, to, didn't it?" Cecilia asked, already sensing a pattern to the poor girl's story. Taking a deep breath, Maylin struggled through what she had seen, why she was here. It was high time that she came clean.

 **I wish I could say that this is as dark as it gets, but sadly, there's more to come. Will Simon be able to escape with what he has learned? What will come of Maylin's guilt? And will I finally pair Ichika with someone? Till the next chapter, and as always, feel free to post a review or shoot me a message if there's something that interests/concerns you.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14; Memories

 **-France, 1 year before Maylin is sent back-**

Standing on the pier, Maylin looked out at the three cruise ships she was responsible for. Well, her and her mother, but this would be her first real mission as an IS pilot. She had busted her ass for two years training under Chifuyu and Tabane to earn her IS, but she considered it worth every drop of blood and sweat. Looking at the ring she now wore, she admired the light reflecting off the emerald. _Like father's eyes_ she thought as she brought out the locket she kept with her. Inside was a picture taken on their wedding night. Cecilia had worn a plain white dress and a blue blouse, while Simon had on a pair of slacks, a plain white shirt and a simple overcoat. They both had the most radiant smiles, and Maylin could only imagine how happy they had been. She had another picture like it in her room of them and all of their friends together, laughing and enjoying life. Even the usually stone-faced Laura had a smile.

They had been sweethearts since he had asked her out at the end of their first semester, though from what she had been told they had started off as enemies. Apparently, there were several matches held between them, and more than a few pieces of furniture were destroyed. Smiling, she tucked the pendant back under her shirt and looked back out over the bay. They had been sent to oversee the evacuation of the French city of Marseille. Cecilia had gone to make sure that the defenses sent to buy them time would hold against a possible assault, leaving Maylin in charge of the three warships in the bay and the handful of troops that were directing people aboard the ships.

The battles across mainland Europe had been growing steadily worse as the enemy gained more ground. Turkey had fallen within the first month of the attacks, and they had been pressing steadily outward ever sense. Germany, Poland, the Ukraine and France had become the front line of the war about a month ago, and while they had been able to hold out fairly well, the countries south of Turkey had been falling like dominoes since it fell. They had advanced as far south as Uganda and Kenya, while to the east they had smashed into China's borders, causing Rin to be recalled for national defense.

What was most puzzling was the apparent lack of activity in the heart of their territory. Satellites were able to grab images of people out working on various projects under guard, but that was only for the large population centers. The smaller towns and villages that fell to their advance simply had their populations disappear. Hence the reason the French government was evacuating as many people as it could out of the immediate combat zone. This city would become a battlefield in another few weeks, despite the French military and their IS' best efforts.

While Tabane had been working around the clock to replace their losses, and had finally relented and taken on a staff to assist her, she couldn't keep pace with the rate at which IS cores were being destroyed or captured. It had become a rather sore point with her that there was something out there that was beating her. And to add insult to injury, it was using her technology to do it. Maylin had made the mistake of asking her about it once, and she had gone off on a rant that lasted for a few hours before she had run out of steam. It also didn't help her mood that Japan had been attacked a few months back, and they still couldn't reestablish contact with them. The fate of her sister, who had remained with the Sarashiki sisters to defend the country, was probably eating away at her.

Her radio beeped to get her attention, shaking her from these thoughts. Pressing down on the ear-piece's button, she said, "Maylin here." "Ma'am, we're almost done here. The last ship will be ready to sail soon," a soldier reported. Smiling, she thanked him and switched channels to tell Cecilia. "Mother, we are almost done here at the docks." "That's good news, sweat heart. One of the outposts thinks they may have a contact, so do ask them to hurry, please," she responded, causing Maylin to blush.

No matter how many times she asked her to, Cecilia refused to act formal with her, no matter where they were. "You're still my daughter. Nothing will change that," she had told her once, leaving little hope that she would stop acting like a doting parent. Informing the soldiers of the possible contact, Maylin summoned her IS and took flight over the bay to make sure there wasn't anything coming at them. 20 minutes later and the final ship moved clear of the docks and went to meet with the rest of the convoy. Looking up, she saw a flare go up, signaling that the ground forces were withdrawing from the city. Not too long after that, Cecilia joined Maylin as they coasted after the ships, deciding that they were better off as over watch then on the deck.

Cecilia's IS had undergone several upgrades since her days in the Academy; her wings now stored an extra pair of laser bits, there was more armor plating to guard against attacks, and her rifle could collapse down into a SMG for close-quarters. She also carried a pistol on one hip and a combat knife at the base of her spine. Despite her best efforts at keeping it in good condition, her Blue Tears still had several dents and cuts in its armor from the several battles she had had with this enemy. "So, no contact, then?" Maylin asked. "Probably a false contact," she responded, "You know, these soldiers do start to get jumpy after a while."

After two hours of flying over the convoy, they decided to land on one of the battleships and take a rest. The crew, used to the sight of IS at a distance, were startled when the two girls landed and destructed their IS. More than a few of them leered at the two, since Cecilia was still a sight to behold, and her daughter was, well, her daughter. Attractiveness ran in the Alcott bloodline. Their pilot suits didn't help matters sense the design hadn't changed much since when Cecilia was in school. After picking a relatively clear spot on the deck, and glaring at the crew until they left them alone, Cecilia and Maylin stretched out and enjoyed the pleasant weather. "So, where will we go after this?" Maylin asked, eager to see some action. "Home, probably. They want us to be held in reserve," Cecilia answered.

"Not the front lines? Why?" she asked, sitting up and looking at her mother, "I am more than ready to take these things on." "Maylin, it's not that simple," Cecilia responded, looking at her and letting some steel creep into her voice, "This is nothing like you're training. You're not ready, yet." "And I will never be if you keep giving me these kid jobs!" They had had this debate before, many times. Maylin wanted to fight, to strike back at the enemy that had caused her mother so much pain, the enemy that had taken her father from her. Cecilia could understand how she felt, but she knew that this was the ignorance of youth, and she wasn't about to risk her only child just to please her.

Before it could escalate any further, an alarm sounded across the ship. Scrambling up, Cecilia stopped the nearest crewmen and asked, "What's happening?" "The rear guard has a contact. Three assault ships and their escort, closing fast," he said before rushing off to his duty station. "Three ships?" Maylin said, excited, "They will not last long on their own. We need to help them." Sighing in frustration, she said, "Fine, but you _will_ follow my lead, young lady." Nodding, Maylin summoned her IS and took off, following Cecilia as they made their way to the rear of the convoy. The rear guard ship, a destroyer, had already broken off and was turning to engage the three ships, probably trying to buy time. But Maylin knew that their odds of success were remote, since their pursuers had weapons based off IS technology.

As they got closer, she saw what looked like large birds circling the ship. _Harpies, perfect_ she thought as her helmet closed and she prepared to charge them. "Maylin, go in low and pull them away from the destroyer," Cecilia said, breaking Maylin's concentration. Before she could argue her mother's orders, Cecilia opened fire and blew one of the Harpies out of the sky. With a slight huff, she obeyed, moving under them and firing several blasts upwards to get their attention. And boy, did it work. Suddenly, she was dodging beams left and right as the Harpies focused on her, forgetting about the ship. For some reason the enemy always fixated on IS when they appeared in a fight, regardless of whatever else was present.

Caught between Cecilia's sniper fire, the destroyer's AA and Maylin's rifles, they quickly cut the remaining Harpies to pieces. Before they could enjoy that victory, however, another wave of them appeared and began a new assault. Activating her fold-out armor, Maylin ducked and weaved around the attacks, blasting them to pieces as soon as she saw them. _This is too easy_ she thought as she watched another one explode, _and these things are beating us?_ Before she could ponder it more, she heard a massive cannon shot. Turning, she saw a beam pass under her and strike the destroyer mid-ship, effectively cutting it in half. Stunned, she watched as the ammo stores exploded and crew scrambled to get off their dying ship.

 _Those bastards were distracting us_ she thought as she turned and prepared to take out the three ships. Suddenly, three Harpies surrounded her and fired, lowering her shields by 25% and blinding her with the smoke. Firing blindly, she backed out of the cloud and rounded on the one behind her. Switching her right rifle to its sword, she sliced through its chest and let the dead machine fall towards the waves. Turning back around, she caught another blast to the chest from one Harpy while the other closed on her with its sword. Backing away, she cut through the sword, as well as one of its arms, before shifting her aim and putting two holes through the chest of the other Harpy. Turning back to finish the first one, she saw too late that it had deployed a dagger mounted on its wrist. Maylin attempted to avoid the hit, but it still caught her, slashing through the armor on her left arm and shoulder.

She felt the pain, and knew that she would need to attend to it soon, but these thoughts were pushed back by the adrenaline and anger as she brought her right hand up and cut the Harpy in half, hip to shoulder. Looking at the wound, she saw blood beginning to seep from the gash in her armor, but it still didn't hurt badly. It was more of a dull ache then crippling agony, though that was likely to change soon. Working with her mother, and taking care to keep the wound concealed, they managed to fight off the remaining Harpies. Boats had been launched by one of the other ships to collect the surviving crew, and soon Maylin and Cecilia were once again on rear guard duty. The enemy ships had yet to come closer, though they could tell that they were working themselves up to it.

As they floated there, Maylin started to have the feeling in her left side return. Trying to keep her face passive, she hoped that she could just ride out the pain, after all, how bad could it be? When Cecilia noticed something dripping from her suit, she came up behind her and spun Maylin around, stunning her and revealing the wound. "Maylin, what happened?!" she demanded, coming closer to examine it. "It is nothing, mother. Just a scratch," she said, trying to play it off. "No, absolutely not. You're going to one of those ships for treatment, no argument," Cecilia said as she grabbed her other arm. Grumbling that she was fine, Maylin let Cecilia take her to the nearest ship to get looked at. When they landed, she destructed her IS and immediately regretted it. Without the armor present to restrict some of her movement, the pain was much more intense, as was the blood flow.

"I wish we could get you to the ship's doctor," the corpsmen said as he bandaged her arm, "But he's a little overwhelmed at the moment with the patients he already has." "Just do what you can, please," Cecilia asked, looking at Maylin in concern, "You should have said something the moment you were hurt. This isn't a game." "I know, and I am sorry," Maylin said, more embarrassed by the fact she had been wounded than the scolding she was receiving. Before she could press the matter further, Cecilia was interrupted as the rear cannons opened fire. "What in the blazes are they shooting at?" she asked, turning around. The corpsman had switched on his radio and listened to it for a moment before saying, "The bastards are moving towards us at top speed."

Cecilia turned pale at that, though Maylin was a little confused. Surely they could outrun them with the lead they had already. When she said as much, the look Cecilia gave her was part pity, and part dread. "Honey, they use technology based off the IS, remember? Their top speed far outstrips anything we have here." As realization hit her, she stood up and walked over to the rail, preparing to summon her IS again. She was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder as her mother walked up beside her. "No. You're wounded, and will only be a hindrance now. Leave this to me," she said, and before Maylin could argue the point she had reached down and removed the ring. Handing it to the corpsman, she said, "Do not give this to her until you get clear. Am I understood?" Her tone was one of authority, and even Maylin hesitated to speak out against it. When he took the ring, she turned back around and summoned her IS before lifting off from the deck. Turning, she said, "I'll be back soon," before she rocketed off to engage the closing vessels.

As she got closer to the ships, Cecilia took a moment to evaluate them. They were two standard battleships and a re-purposed amphibious assault ship, likely their makeshift carrier. Toggling the controls on her rifle, she selected the new fire mode she had installed specifically for moments like this. As the first AA tracers started swarming around her, she charged her rifle and sited up on the center of the first battleship just as that ship's guns aimed at her. She fired an overcharged bolt, piercing the hull and punching a hole clean through to below the water line. After a few seconds, in which she was forced to dodge several close shots, her rifle had recharged and she fired another bolt through the ship. Two more blasts ensured that that particular ship would sink in short order. As she shifted her aim to the other ship, the assault ship launched a half dozen Harpies to stop her.

Cursing, she shifted her rifle back to its normal mode and deployed her laser bits. The Harpies were in no way a challenge for her, at least when they were at range. One of them, however, managed to get close enough to take a swipe at her with its sword. Dodging it, she grabbed her pistol and shot it twice in the head. As she worked her way through the others, she saw that the ships were attempting to speed past her. _Not going to happen_ she thought as she brought up the over-charge mode and put a hole into the front of the other battleship. Two more blasts and she decided it was time to turn her attention to the assault ship. As she sited up on it, a Harpy she hadn't noticed crashed into her from behind.

Too stunned from the attack, she didn't resist as it plunged towards the deck of the assault ship. They hit the metal and punched clean through into a hold below the deck. Once they landed, she used her laser bits to blast the pesky machine before standing up and taking a look around. "Oh no…" she said, feeling the pit of her stomach drop away. The hold was full of their land and air units, all of which had turned their attention to her. Switching her rifle to its SMG mode and grabbing her pistol in her other hand, she lashed out with her laser bits as they charged her. Explosions and energy weapon fire filled the room as she fought off what felt like the entire crew. After blasting two of the cats into pieces she heard a pair of explosions behind her. She turned just in time to watch another one of her bits get destroyed before she could pull them closer to her.

Setting the rest to guard her back, she continued to cut a path of destruction through them as she fought to get clear. But there seemed to be no end to them, and they were all throwing themselves at her, willing to pay whatever price she required. After shooting one Harpy through the head, another came in under its corpse and shoved its sword towards her chest. Dodging to the right, she felt it catch on the metal around her waist as she brought her pistol up and shot it. Feeling something warm, she looked down and was momentarily stunned by the sight of her own blood. This hesitation was long enough for one of the cats to leap onto her and sink its fangs into her right shoulder. With a cry of pain, she brought up one of her remaining bits and shot it off her before stumbling back into a wall. Taking advantage of this lapse, two Harpies destroyed her remaining bits.

Bringing both guns up, she cut loose with her remaining weapons. They returned fire, several of the shots getting very close to her before three finally hit. The first one hit and dissipated on her shields, as did the second, though enough force bled through that she felt like she had been shoved. The third broke through, hitting her thigh and hurting like hell. Another two followed it, destroying her SMG and hitting her in the stomach. Kneeling down and clutching the wound, she struggled to breathe as she felt her adrenaline starting to wear off. _Wait, why aren't they firing?_ She wondered as she looked up. The remaining Harpies stood or floated in place, while the cats paced back and forth while watching her. _They want to take me alive_ she realized as she struggled back onto her feet. Raising her pistol, she shot two dead and forced the rest to back off. _I have to get back_ she thought as she stumbled forward, trying to make it back to the hole she had made in the ceiling. But, she was forced back as the remaining units fired at and around her.

Looking around, Cecilia weighed her options and came to her only real choice. _They will_ not _get her_ she swore. Holding the pistol out to keep the machines at bay, she keyed up one of her fail-safe commands and started hitting the overrides. Triggering her communications, she opened a link to Maylin. "Maylin, sweat heart, are you there?" she asked, trying to hide the pain in her voice. "Mother? What is wrong, are you hurt?" _Well, she saw through that one fast_ she thought as she shot at one cat that got too close. "I'm fine, dear, just got the wind knocked out of me," she lied, "Listen, I need you to do something for me when you get home." "You mean when _we_ get home, right?" "Maylin, please, just listen," she begged, feeling her strength starting to ebb away. It was getting hard to stand, let alone aim at these things. "In my jewelry box upstairs is the ring that I got from your father. Could you please take it to his grave for me? Can you do that, honey?" "Mother, what is it? What happened?" Maylin asked, panic creeping into her voice.

As she spoke, the finally confirmation screen came up in front of her. Taking a moment to read the text, Cecilia felt her lip begin to tremble as she hit the 'confirm' key. Immediately, she noticed the temperature of her IS jumping a few degrees. "Maylin, listen to me," Cecilia said as her arm dropped to her side, "I love you. Do you hear me? I love you, now and always." Cutting the connection, she felt her legs give way as her suit's core grew hotter. Sensing her weakness, her enemies closed in on her. Closing her eyes, she thought _I'm coming, dear_.

Standing on the deck and almost falling off the railing, Maylin looked out at the assault ship while she continued to try and raise Cecilia. "Mother, can you hear me? Mother?! Answer me!" she kept saying. Not too long after the connection was cut, she noticed small arcs of electricity running across the front of the ship. Before she could wonder what they were, a massive explosion ripped through the front of the assault ship, tearing the nose off and trashing the command tower. For a moment, she was too stunned by what she saw to say anything. As the assault ship began to sink, her mind started working again. "No, oh no… nonono," she said, shaking her head and feeling tears welling up. "Mother! No, mother! No!" Before she could fall from the railing, the corpsman came up behind her and pulled her back. Rather than fight back, she just collapsed onto the deck, sobbing. _She's gone_ she repeated over and over, _she's gone._

 **-Present Day-**

Sitting beside Cecilia, Maylin felt those tears returning. Fighting through them, she said, "It was all my fault. If I had not fixated on the ship, if I had not been wounded, then you would have…" Cecilia just sat there, her head reeling from what she had just learned. Parts of it made her feel giddy, that she and Simon would marry later. But, hearing about all of the death caused her to feel sad, and scared. She was finally realizing the scale of what they were facing, and it terrified her. _And Simon is stuck in the middle of it. What could they be doing to him now?_ "Maylin, I won't pretend to understand what you're going through," Cecilia said, "But there was nothing you could have done."

"And how would you know?" "I know because if you had gone to save her, to save me, you wouldn't be here now to help us," she said, trying to comfort her, "You said yourself that things were different from what they were supposed to be. Maybe that means that what _did_ happen won't be what _will_ happen." Maylin sat there as she thought about that. _Why did I not realize that before?_ she wondered. The answer had been staring her in the face, and it had been for a while; this wasn't the same time-line as hers, it hadn't been for a while. "Y-you are right," she said, starting to feel a flicker of hope, "This is not the same as my time. And I will not let it become such." "That's the spirit."

Getting up, Maylin turned to her and said, "Come on, we have somewhere we need to be." "And where is that?" Cecilia asked, confused. Summoning the right arm of her IS, Maylin brought up a map of a rather remote island. "We identified this as one of their early bases in my time," she explained, "It is the closest known base to Japan, and the most likely spot they would be." "Are you sure?" Cecilia asked, getting caught up in Maylin's excitement. "I cannot be one hundred percent sure, but I believe it is our best chance to get Simon back."

Sitting beside Houki's hospital bed, Ichika felt his eyelids starting to droop. He had been at her bedside as often as he could manage, only leaving to eat or use the restroom. He had even spent last night there. He couldn't shake these feelings of guilt, that he was the reason she had been hurt. _If I had been better, fought harder_ he thought, feeling himself drifting to a rather dark place he had visited plenty of times the last two days. Several of the others had tried to cheer him up, but their efforts just made him feel worse. He didn't deserve it, Houki did. She deserved much better than what she had gotten.

"I'm sorry, Houki," he said for what was probably the millionth time, "I'm so sorry, this is my fault. If I had been stronger, than maybe you wouldn't have been…" "How long are you going to do that to yourself?" Charlotte asked from behind him, startling Ichika. Turning around to face her, he tried to force a smile, but she knew him better than that. Before he could say anything, she continued, "You didn't do anything wrong, Ichika. None of us could have known how strong they were." "But I still let this happen. I still let them put her in the hospital. I still…" he broke off, feeling the gloom returning. Steeling herself, Charlotte walked up to him and slapped him, hard.

"Stop that, right now," she said, putting as much authority into it that she could, "You _are not_ at fault here, Ichika. The ones you fought, _they_ are to blame. And sitting here doubting yourself will do you as much good as it did her." Looking at her, Ichika strangely felt better. He couldn't explain it, but it was like those dark thoughts had just drained away with that slap. Grabbing her shoulders to steady himself, he hung his head and said, "Thank you, Charls. Thank you." He felt tears starting to fall, but did nothing to stop them. Smiling, she stepped forward and hugged him, quietly saying, "You two really are so alike."

When she heard someone opening the door, she quickly stepped back and tried to appear normal, but still was blushing slightly as Maylin and Cecilia walked into the room. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything," Cecilia said, sounding a little smug. She knew exactly how the French girl felt about Ichika, and was trying to lighten the mood at least a little. Ignoring the comment, Maylin walked up and said, "We require your help." "For what?" Charlotte asked. "We believe we know where the enemy is holding Simon. But, it is not a place that we can attack with just two people," Maylin explained, looking between the two pilots. She knew that Rin and Laura would be ready to go at a moment's notice, but these two wouldn't be so eager. Not after the battle they had just been through.

"You want us to up and leave, just like that?" Ichika asked, sounding shocked, "What if she wakes up while we're gone?" "Then Chifuyu will have to tell her what happened," Maylin responded, "We have an opportunity to strike back at them here. And, we have a real chance at getting Simon back. But I cannot guarantee that they will keep him there forever. The longer we wait, the more likely it is they will move him." She made a real effort to avoid mentioning that they might kill him. Despite whatever connection he had to the Gospel, she had seen them commit too many acts of slaughter to consider them acting in mercy. After thinking about it for a few moments, Charlotte spoke up. "You know, Ms. Orimura will be furious with us if we took off again." "If we come back to a scolding, I will consider myself lucky," Maylin said, smiling. "B-but, we might get more people hurt!" Ichika said, still opposed to the idea, "Maybe even killed."

Turning to him, Cecilia said, "Ichika, if you want to stay here with Houki, that's fine. In fact, if you all wish to remain here, I won't blame you. However, I'm going. I love Simon, and I won't let them harm him. Not as long as I'm still breathing." While she felt a little embarrassed about admitting it so openly, she stood by her words. Nodding, Charlotte said, "I'm in. He helped me, after all. It would be rude not to return the favor." "As am I," Maylin said, stepping forward. Looking between the girls, Ichika felt caught up in their eagerness. Also, he would have a chance at pay-back for Houki. "This is probably the worse decision I've made, ever, but I'm in too."

 **The tempo starts to ramp up as the IS pilots go on the offensive. Will they make it in time? Will Simon still be in one piece if they do? Will I ever pair Ichika with someone? (Wait, I think I asked that already) Till the next chapter, readers.**

 **I will admit, I felt bad about writing the flash-back in this one. Despite the fact that it's not what will happen, I still felt bad. Also, before anyone asks, yes that is a real city in France.  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15; Assault

Pacing back and forth in the living room of her suite, Chifuyu silently fumed as Tabane sat on the couch, sifting through her papers on the coffee table and her computer. She had just been briefing Chifuyu on what she had learned after analyzing the remains of the machines that attacked the Academy. So far, there had been frustratingly little data available to them. The machines had an automatic function that fried their physical memory when they died, making Tabane's job much more difficult. She also had several broken spheres in front of her; the largest pieces of the cores those machines had been using. Their design was disturbing to her, although she made an effort not to let it show. They were very close to the design of her own IS cores, though they were still inferior to them. Still, it was close enough to make her feel uneasy, considering how long it took _her_ to design and create a single core. _To think they could mass-produce such a close copy so quickly_ she thought as she examined one of the fragments.

"Okay, let's go over it again," Chifuyu said, straining to keep her emotions in check, "Clearly, the machines that attacked the Academy belong to the group that sent those two IS after some of our pilots previously. They also set the Gospel free and sent it towards the resort we were staying at." "When you say it like that, Chifu-ni," Tabane said, placing the core fragment back on the table, "It sounds like someone's targeting these kids specifically. In fact, I would guess that they are after Si-kun. They all seemed to focus on him when he appeared in each incident." "I know, and that's what worries me. I know the boy has talent, but why would they want him specifically?" They couldn't come to a reasonable explanation for this seeming fixation on Simon, especially since he had neglected to tell them about his personal connection to the Gospel. "Well, let's assume that is what they want. Now that they have him, what will they do?" Chifuyu asked, trying to keep the ball rolling.

"Judging from what I've learned from these cores, I don't think it will end well for him," Tabane said. "Why?" "Well, I tested one of the larger fragments earlier and powered it up. It exploded after a few seconds," she said, flinching slightly at the look she got from Chifuyu, "But I managed to record some feedback before it exploded. But, I can't explain what it's doing there." Turning the screen so Chifuyu could read it, Tabane brought up the readings she had recorded. It was a series of waves undulating on the screen, and it tugged at something in Chifuyu's memory. "I feel like I've seen this before." "And you have, every time you were in a hospital. They're EEG waves, brainwaves." Chifuyu just stood there as she digested that.

"But," she began, feeling her confidence starting to waver, "What's that doing in a _machine_?" "I don't know," Tabane responded, turning the screen back, "I can't think of any methods that would give this kind of results." "So, how is this bad news for Simon?" "Maybe I should have been clearer," Tabane said, "When I said I can't think of any methods, I meant that I can't think of any _official_ methods to create these kinds of cores. But I can guess at it." "By all means, guess," Chifuyu said, feeling her patience starting to wear thin. "Well, I would guess that the method for activating the cores require a human brain. That's the only thing I can think of that would produce this kind of data." They looked at each other, the full implications dawning on them. Human brains are required to manufacture these cores, and they have Simon and his core.

* * *

As he quickly worked through the mound of parts and limbs that was his IS, Simon breathed a quick prayer of thanks that he had been left in the bay. It hadn't taken much to convince the Gospel that he wasn't going to try and escape, at least without specifically saying that. His exact words were, "You have my word that I won't use my IS' weapons to escape." Technically not a lie, since he wouldn't need the weapons to get out of there. It wouldn't do him much good, anyways, since he was reduced to his gauntlet swords and a pair of fangs. Besides, he didn't plan on escaping just yet. There was more he wanted to learn about this group first. As he brought the left shoulder guard up and started attaching it to the chest plate, he heard the door behind him open. Continuing his work, he had to fight the urge to turn around and face whoever it was. Regardless of their treatment of him, he was still in an enemy base.

"And why are you putting that machine back together?" Judging from the voice, he could tell it was the Fairy. It was the only machine that had an undertone of smugness in its voice, which was odd for a machine. "Because I slaved for almost a year to build this thing, and I won't stand by while it lays in pieces," he responded, trying to keep his tone neutral, "Or did my sister not tell you what I do?" "That's good, you're calling her 'sister' now," it responded, circling the IS so it was in front of him, "And yes, she told me. She also said that the choice over conversion was ultimately up to you, that she will respect your decision." He thought about that as he finished attaching the guard. Moving to the wings, he began to reattach the feathers. "Well, what's your opinion on it?" he asked. "Personally, I think you're too valuable an asset to lose, regardless of your personal feelings on the matter," it responded, dropping the smug tone and sounding deathly serious. "You sound like a soldier." "I was, until I volunteered for a 'special assignment.' Little did I know that it would be more permanent than I would have liked."

"So why not try and change back?" he asked. _Maybe I can help these people_ he hoped. "Because the process destroys the brain, remember?" it said, sounding offended, "And besides, why would I want to go back? I'm so much more now." "And how's that?" Leaning over the suit so they were face to face, it said, "I understand so much more. I can do so much more than any human ever could. I have more power now than I could have ever hoped to gain." Its tone was one of awe, clearly was pleased with the change. "As for you," it continued, "You are far too fascinating to just allow you to leave. I've never seen someone do what you did during our battle." "You've never seen someone protect another person?" he asked, skeptical. "I've seen that. What I meant was how you sacrificed yourself to protect them," it said, walking around the IS and standing next to him, "You surrendered yourself to us, no questions, no demands. You couldn't have known what we would do, but you did it anyway."

Standing up so he could be ready for whatever this thing was doing, he turned and faced it. "Is it really that shocking?" he asked. "Who is she to you?" it asked, ignoring his question, "Clearly someone precious. A lover, perhaps?" Simon felt his fists tighten at that. Moving closer, it brought its hand up to his face. "Perhaps she is your greatest link to this existence," it mussed, cupping his chin like it was examining him, "I wonder what would happen if it was severed…" "Don't you dare," he growled. This thing was on dangerous ground, whether it knew it or not. "I do what I please now, human," it said, releasing him and stepping back, "You should seriously consider taking the Gospel's offer. I would hate for you to waste such an opportunity. You show much promise." Without another word, it turned and walked away, leaving a trembling Simon behind.

Making the decision he had been putting off till now, he turned back to his IS and continued reassembling it. _Fuck this place, I need to get out of here_ he thought as he finished putting the left wing together. What ticked him off the most was there was a small voice in the back of his head telling him to do it. _Just imagine what you can do_ it said, _all the power, all the knowledge, it can be yours. SHUT UP_ he kept screaming back at it, but it wouldn't. He couldn't stop the thoughts running through his head. Regardless of what it would cost him, the prospect of becoming one of them was enticing enough that he couldn't dismiss it outright. And he was worried that deep down, he really did want to.

* * *

Sitting in the command room, the Gospel went through the most recent update for their forces. They had been forced to process some of their initiates early to replace loses they had suffered during the raid, and as a result they had lost more to excessive fragmenting than she would have liked. _But it was worth it, because Simon is back_ she thought. "We should step up the production of the new assault ship, Gospel," Widow, the spider IS, suggested, bringing up the blueprints for the new ship, "We may need it before too long." "I told you, my name is Sarah," she said with a sigh. No matter how many times she reminded them, the others refused to use her proper name. "We're machines now. We should be true to that," Fairy had told her once. _While that may be true, it doesn't mean I can stop being me._ "Besides, why would we need the assault ship? They don't even know where we are," she continued.

"That's not necessarily true, Gospel," Fairy said as she walked into the room, "We don't know if we disabled any trackers aboard his IS. Tabane is a crafty woman." While that was true, between the four of them, they had a nearly complete understanding of the IS technology. They hadn't yet managed to create true cores, but their version was easily replicated. At Crusade's recommendation, they had even gone so far as to mount IS weapons on a ship, giving them a decisive advantage in combat. They had even managed to secure a submarine for more covert actions. While Sarah didn't agree with this build-up of arms, she understood that it was necessary should any of the researchers that created them decide to try and reclaim them. She was sure that they had dealt with that problem when they escaped from the facility and commandeered this one, but like Tabane they could be extremely resourceful. It was the only way they had managed to carry out their little 'project' under their superior's nose for so long.

"I would think that if he had a beacon we would have detected the signal by now, Fairy," Widow said dismissively, "And besides, the only ones stupid enough to attack us, if they knew where we are, would be his idiot friends." "About that," Fairy said, turning to Sarah, "Did he tell you about his 'connection' to them?" Thinking about it a moment, Sarah responded, "They're his friends, so of course he's connected to them." "Oh, so he doesn't trust you enough to tell you that?" Fairy asked, amused. "And just what is it that I should know, Fairy?" she demanded, walking over to face her.

"Did you ever notice how protective he is of that British girl?" she asked, tilting her head, "He's rather attached to her. I confronted him about it, and his reaction was very telling. She's precious to him." "What of it?" "Well, I was just thinking," Fairy said, "If she's his strongest link, then what would happen if it was severed?" "You want to kill her?" Sarah asked, stunned. How could she even suggest that, especially if she's close to Simon? "I was just thinking that she might be the reason he hasn't made a decision," Fairy reasoned, turning away, "Maybe he needs some encouragement." Sarah just stood there as she processed this new information.

She hated to admit it, but she immediately ran several simulations as she wondered if it would work out that way. She liked to think she knew her brother well enough to know what he would decide, but she had never seen him in love. And that is clearly what this had to be, considering what she had seen after reviewing the footage from the surviving units and what Fairy had just told her. That lack of information was frustrating, and caused her simulations to come up with a wide variety of possibilities, almost none of them what she would have wanted. "You just ran through the possibilities, didn't you, Gospel?" Fairy asked, looking back at her. "Maybe I did. What of it, Fairy?" Sarah asked back in a challenging tone. Regardless of what the ex-solider felt, _she_ was still the one in charge. "Nothing, Gospel, nothing at all," she said as she turned and walked away. As Sarah returned to her seat, she wondered if she would have to act on Fairy's suggestion. She didn't want to lose her brother again, not so long as she could help it.

* * *

Standing on the beach, Cecilia took a moment to steel herself for what they were about to do. True to form, Rin and Laura had jumped at the chance of striking back. What had surprised them was that Tatenashi and Kanzashi had been waiting for them as they left the hospital. "So, where are you off to looking so determined?" Tatenashi asked, smiling sweetly. "W-well, we were thinking of going to grab a bite to eat," Cecilia said, hoping to distract the girls. "Really, because I thought you were going to get Simon back," she countered, causing everyone to flinch. Before they could try and deny it, Kanzashi stepped forward. "I-if you're going to rescue him, p-please let us come with you," she begged, looking desperate to do something.

When she wouldn't go on, Tatenashi continued for her. "We owe that boy a lot," she explained, "He helped me with something I could never have done myself, and he helped my sister. We'd like the opportunity to repay him." "Then we go together!" Rin said, all fired up. She had been practically climbing the walls after they had arrived, and she wasn't about to let her pseudo-brother be held captive by those things. "We'll knock those things flat!" "I like the confidence you show," Maylin said, "However, this is an enemy you do not wish to underestimate. You can trust me on that." The group split up to make their preparations to leave, agreeing to meet down at the beach in two hours.

Now, standing there with Rin, she waited for the others to arrive. "So, we're finally going after your man, huh?" Rin asked, smiling at how it made Cecilia blush. She didn't deny it, though, which was exactly what Rin had been looking for. Those two had spent enough time dancing around each other, and if this wasn't enough to get them to get over it, nothing would be. "I just don't like the thought of him being held by that bitch of a machine," she responded, looking away. "You don't have to keep that tough-girl act up, Cecilia," Rin said, softening her tone. She knew full well how soft this girl was on the inside, regardless of how tough she tried to act. "It's okay to admit that you care. I mean, you already admitted it in front of Charlotte and Ichika." "I-I, what? How?" she stammered, turning back to face her and turning a brighter red. Rin just smiled fiendishly as her friend stuttered like a moron before saying, "Relax, I won't spread it around. At least, not yet."

Before Cecilia could think of a response, Maylin and the Sarashiki sisters joined them. They spent the next half hour in idle chatter as they waited for the others. They discussed virtually everything they could think of, except their current actions. They were all nervous about going into battle; even Tatenashi had felt a bit shaky when she had stopped to think about it. It wasn't like the raid, where it had just happened and they were forced to react. This was a conscious decision to start a fight, and with an enemy that had caused them more damage than they were willing to admit. While she couldn't speak for any of the others, Cecilia was constantly remembering how one of the enemy IS had taken on Ichika and Houki single-handed and had managed to hospitalize the girl, despite the fact that she had been using a 4th generation IS.

When the rest of them had arrived, Cecilia felt that she had to say something. "Everyone, I just want to say thank you," she said, fighting down the tremble in her voice, "Truly, it means a lot. But, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I'm going, but I don't expect you to risk-" "You can stop right there, Cecilia," Rin said, sensing her unease, "We wouldn't be here if we weren't committed to this. We're with you, all the way." Looking between the faces of her friends, she saw determination, and it was almost enough to bring her to tears. "Alright, let's do this," she said as they summoned their IS. As one, they took off from the beach and set a course for the island base.

* * *

Standing before his complete IS, Simon quickly brought up a diagnostic on the computer station nearby. It wouldn't do him any good to suit up if they had screwed with its systems. Considering the conversation he had just had with the Fairy, it was something he wouldn't put past it. Setting it to run automatically, he walked in a slow circle around the IS, making sure he had put everything back properly. He had been forced to make short-cuts in some of the connections, which would work well in the short term, but would fail under sustained loads. _Let's just hope that won't be necessary_ he thought as he checked over the wings. Before he could finish his visual inspection, the knight IS, Crusade, came into the room and walked right up to him.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked, trying to sound brave. This IS, more than the others, scared him. It had taken a 3.5 and a 4th gen IS single-handed and won. He had no illusions about how it would end up if he fought it, even if his IS had been in peak condition. After staring at him for a few minutes, it leaned down and asked, "Why are you still here?" "W-what do you mean?" he responded, taken back by the sudden question. "If you wished to join us, you would have," it reasoned, "If you didn't, then you would have left before now. So again, why are you still here?" "You aren't a big believer in foreplay, are you, Crusade?" he asked, slightly amused. It was almost like he was talking with Laura.

"I don't see the point in avoiding what people should confront," it told him, standing up again, "If you wish to leave this place, than do so. I won't stop you." Smiling, he turned back to continue working on his IS. Before he could move, though, it placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "But know this," it continued, "The second you do, you will be my enemy. There will be no mercy the next time." "Thank you for the warning. I'll try and remember it," he said, flashing a smile with absolutely no warmth to it. He could almost imagine an answering smile on its helmet as Crusade turned and left him. As he continued his examination, he noticed that his IS' standby was nowhere to be found. _Crap, I need that watch, and fast_ he thought as he started to search through the rest of the room.

After turning the last box of parts upside down, he sighed in frustration. It wasn't there, which meant that activating his IS remotely was going to be an issue. His choices were now down to a manual activation or leaving the bay and trying to locate it, without drawing too much attention. _Damnit, why now?_ Sighing, he turned to leave before he spotted a familiar green loop on the table that held the computer. Walking over to it, he stopped and slapped himself for being so damned stupid. They had left it out in the freaking open, and why not? His IS had been in pieces at the time, so there was no need to keep it hidden. _Always the last place you look_ he thought as he walked over and picked it up. As he put it on, the feeling he got was one of completion. He hadn't realized how vulnerable he felt without it on, and it was comforting to have it back. _Now, to get out of here_ he thought as an alarm blared.

* * *

After a three hour flight, they arrived at the island Maylin had identified. Flying low to avoid detection till the last possible moment, they split up in their agreed upon battle plan. Laura, Tatenashi, Kanzashi and Rin stayed on course, while Maylin and Cecilia broke right and Ichika and Charlotte went left. As they neared the island, Laura activated a pulse scan, essentially an IS version of active sonar for ships, to try and locate any structures. "Three buildings confirmed," she reported, charging her cannon, "There also appears to be a door in the inlet to our left, possibly a dock for their ship." "We're on it," Ichika said, his voice crackling with anticipation. He was itching for a chance to find that knight IS. The others could only hope that Charlotte would be able to keep him under control.

Stopping just offshore, Laura and Kanzashi primed their weapons and fired at the main building Laura had marked, blowing away armor and concrete with a cannon round and missile storm. As the smoke began to clear, Harpies came screaming out of several hidden bays, firing on the four pilots they could see. While they prepared their next salvo, Rin and Tatenashi moved between them and the oncoming machines. Cutting loose with their weapons, they blew away the first few Harpies with very little resistance. The rest of them, however, scattered and began engaging them from multiple directions. Soon, Laura and Kanzashi were forced to turn their attention to them, and missiles, energy blasts and bullets filled the air.

Ichika and Charlotte kept on their course and found the door in short order. Bringing out her rifle, Charlotte shot out the main locks on the door and, with each of them taking a side, they forced them open. Once inside, they found the assault ship that had attacked them not too long ago. And standing on top of the ship's nose with javelins in hand was the Fairy. "Well, if it isn't the little samurai boy," it mocked, "Where's your girlfriend?" "You're not the IS I want," he said, raising his sword, "But you'll do." At this, he charged.

* * *

After blowing a hole through one of the Harpy launch hatches, Maylin and Cecilia began moving into the complex. Before they could even reach the first turn, however, a group of those cyber cats appeared from around said corner and immediately opened fire. Moving in front of Cecilia, Maylin raised her rifles as the rounds impacted her shields. Firing steadily, she whittled down the enemy as Cecilia came around her right side. Raising her own rifle, she opened fire and quickly picked off the remaining cats. Moving up to the intersection, they quickly checked both passages for enemies. "Do you have any idea where they might be holding him?" Cecilia asked. "No. One direction will be as good as the next." "Then we go right." Taking the right passage, they ran into two more groups of cats before finding themselves in a large maintenance bay.

Taking the time to examine their surroundings for enemies, they noticed a large spider standing in the center of the room. "You have some nerve barging in like this," Widow said, bringing her weapons online, "It looks like I'm going to have to teach you some manners." "I will take this one," Maylin said, stepping forward and closing her helmet, "You go find Simon." "You sure you'll be alright?" Cecilia asked. In response, Maylin switched her right rifle to its sword and charged the IS, firing as she went. For a brief moment, Cecilia was torn between helping her friend, and finding Simon. It didn't last long as she watched Maylin drive the spider back, forcing it to keep on the move or risk destruction. _She's definitely my daughter_ she thought as she turned and blew out one of the doors leading deeper into the facility. Two more turns and she suddenly ran into the Gospel, the machine she had been both hoping and dreading to find.

Before she could raise her rifle, or even think of attacking, it unleashed a wave of energy bombs, forcing her back around the corner. "I know why you're here, Cecilia," it said, walking forward. "Then just hand him over, and I'll be on my way," Cecilia responded. As she leapt around the corner and took aim, she realized how close the Gospel had come. Reaching up, it grabbed the end of her rifle and turned it aside as she reflexively pulled the trigger, sending a bolt into the wall. "I'm afraid I can't do that," it said, raising a hand with a charged beam in it, "I _will not_ lose my brother again. Not to you, or anyone else." It fired the beam straight into her chest, taking a good chunk of her shields out and throwing her back a couple meters. "He's _mine_ now, do you hear me? Mine," it continued, calmly walking towards her, "I don't care what kind of bond you two share, I will not let you take him." _This thing's crazy_ Cecilia realized as she dodged another blast and returned fire. The Gospel just raised one of its wings and deflected the bolt, almost as if it was sneering at her. "If killing you is what it takes to keep him here and safe, then so be it," it finally said before charging Cecilia.

 **Aannd, cliffhanger! What will happen to our brave pilots now? Can Ichika and Charlotte survive their encounter with their 'fated' killer? Will the Gospel kill our beloved Cecilia before she even finds Simon? I still feel like such a bastard for this, but till next chapter, folks.  
Sorry that it's kinda cut to pieces, but this one, and the next chapter, are at that point where there's a lot going on in several places at once.  
**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16; Simon's Choice

Bringing its javelin up, the Fairy blocked Ichika's attempt at taking its head off. Jumping back, it charged up one to fire while using the other to block the flurry of sword blows he was throwing at it. Charlotte, meanwhile, had circled around it to try and get a clear shot. Noticing the French girl, it jumped to the side rather than block the next attack, letting Ichika's momentum carry him forward and putting him in the line of fire. "Ichika, you moron, move!" she shouted too late. Bringing the other javelin up, it fired into his chest, sending him hurtling into Charlotte and sending them both into the wall of the dock. "If that's all you have, little boy, you might as well leave now," it taunted, standing on the ship. "Damn you…" Ichika murmured as he tried to get back up. Before he could he was kicked to the side as the Fairy landed near them and turned its attention to Charlotte. Reaching down, it picked her up by the shoulder and threw her back towards the assault ship.

"I think we need to have some alone time," it said as it followed her. Jumping to her feet, Charlotte summoned her two SMGs and opened fire, catching it off-guard. After taking a number of rounds, it ducked down below the deck, using the ship as a shield. Moving over to the side of the deck, she kept her weapons trained on where it disappeared in case it came back. She was not, however, prepared for the attack from behind. Landing a kick into her back, the Fairy sent her into the deck before bringing its javelin down between her shoulder blades. Her shields bled away at a rapid pace, triggering an alarm, and she struggled to roll over and throw the thing off her. Before her shields could drop below 40%, Ichika barreled into the Fairy's side, sending it through the wall of the ship. "You okay, Charls?" he asked while watching the hole. "Y-yes, I'm okay," she said, getting back up, "Thank you."

She turned to the hole just in time to see the Fairy fly out and ram into both of them, throwing them through the guard rail and back onto the dock. Recovering first, Ichika charged a beam in his left hand while he triggered an Ignition burst, sailing back at the Fairy. Bringing its left javelin up, it prepared to smack aside his obvious frontal assault. Instead, he stopped short and fired his beam, landing a solid blow into its chest before diving below it to avoid its return fire. Coming at it from below, he swung his sword up and felt it make contact with something softer than its weapons. Cutting clean through whatever it was, since he couldn't see through the smoke, he cleared the cloud and swung around, prepared for a counter attack. When the Fairy charged him, he noticed that a piece of its right foot was missing. _So I_ can _damage them_ he thought as it crashed into him again. "You will pay for that, human!"

* * *

Outside on the beach, Tatenashi was grappling with three Harpies at once, while Rin and Kanzashi were fighting off another four out over the water. Laura was the only one not currently fighting, but she was planning on changing that. Rather than focus on the enemies fighting her allies, she trusted them to deal with them while she prepared another shot. Lining up her sights on what appeared to be their communications building, she fired and blew off what she assumed was their main antenna. Smiling, she turned her attention back to her friends only to be blindsided by a powerful blast. Dodging to the side to clear the smoke, she turned and had just enough time to see a large IS with a shield before it slammed into her, its blade coming down towards her head. Raising her left arm, she deployed one of her AIC and stopped it cold before focusing on the enemy in front of her.

It was the knight IS, the one that had hospitalized one of her friends and had beaten Ichika. "Well, if it isn't the child soldier," it said, leaning into its shield and struggling to free its sword. "I hope you are prepared to die, Hündin," Laura spat back. Shifting to her right, she let the knight's weight carry it around her as she released its sword. Deploying her left energy blade, she swiped at its head but only managed to put a gash into its shield. Backing away, she deployed her wire snares to buy time to line up a shot. Dodging three of them, it tossed its sword up above it before wrapping its hand around the fourth wire. With a powerful tug, it pulled Laura back towards it as the sword came back down. In one swift move it caught the weapon and brought it down towards her head again. Stopping it with another AIC, she tried to line up a shot with her cannon but she was too close. Before she could think of a way to attack it, the IS brought its foot up and kicked her away before back flipping to dodge a blast from Rin.

She had come up behind it, hoping to catch it unaware. As it spun to face her, she gulped as she brought her swords up. _This is_ not _good_ she thought as it pointed its shield at her. Realizing what it was doing, she ducked to the side as it fired at her. Charging her own cannons, Rin circled it and moved closer as it tracked her with its own cannon. Before ether could fire a wave of missiles came in and hit it from behind. Taking advantage of the opening, Laura and Rin cut loose on the cloud, peppering it with Shock cannon rounds and railgun shells. They stopped the bombardment after a few seconds and waited for some sign that they had defeated the thing. Rin had even began to pray to any god that would listen that this monster of an IS had finally been put down. Instead of answering that prayer, the IS came shooting from the cloud and smashed into Kanzashi, taking her with it as it flew back towards the beach. "Crap," Rin muttered as she and Laura moved to help her.

Before they could get there, the knight had slashed through one of her missile pods and kicked her in the stomach, sending her rolling across the sand and knocking the wind from her. Wheezing, she tried to stand back up only to be stopped as it placed a foot in the middle of her back and forced her back down. Reversing the grip on its sword, it said, "I hope you were prepared to die here, little girl." As it brought its sword down towards Kanzashi's head, Tatenashi crashed into its side, sending them both rolling across the sand. Getting to her feet first, Tatenashi brought her spear up and tried to hose the knight IS down with bullets. Instead, it kicked itself over to dodge the first stream of shots and brought its shield up to blast her.

Right before it could pull the trigger, one of Laura's shells hit it in the back, while Rin landed on its right side and opened fire with her Shock cannons. Kanzashi and Tatenashi joined in a second latter, pouring as much fire as they could into it. After two minutes, they stopped and watched the dust cloud, praying that it was finally dead. When the smoke finally cleared, what they saw made their spirits plummet. The knight IS had undergone its second shift and its new weapons were…discouraging, to say the least. It held a broadsword in each hand and had a double-bladed battle axe sheathed down its back. It also had four floating shield bits hovering around it, in addition to the fact that its wings had changed to accommodate a pair of cannon barrels, each. "This isn't going to go well, is it?" Rin asked, looking at the others. Brandishing its new swords, the IS answered, "No, it won't," and charged.

* * *

Breathing a quick prayer of thanks that the alarm had stopped, Simon turned to his IS and stopped the diagnostic. _It's now or never_ he realized as he triggered his stand-by form. He watched as his IS disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear around him a moment latter in another flash. Checking over his limited weapons, he sighed in frustration. His two remaining fangs were still fairly damaged, so he could only use them once as a kind of blade-bullet. His left sword was also questionable, but he was confident it would at least activate once. Turning to the main door, he triggered his right blade and slashed through the flimsy metal before taking off down the hall. Taking a moment to notice that the girls he had seen wandering around, the 'initiates,' weren't there, he tried to find the closest fight to where he was currently.

Suddenly, he heard a large explosion to his right followed by the wine of a rifle discharging. _That's Cecilia's rifle_ he realized as he took off down the hall. Rounding a corner, the scene that met him was enough to stop him cold. Cecilia was grappling with the Gospel at close range, fending it off with her rifle and combat knife, the former of which was useless as a gun at this range. The trade-off was that because she was so close, the Gospel was kept from using its major firepower since it would be caught in the blast as well. Instead, it was fighting hand-to-hand, and since its fingers were more like claws, like all IS, it was managing to hold its own. It was still slightly surreal to watch two people used to fighting at range grappling at close-quarters. However, when the Gospel leaped forward and tackled her, he was shaken from his momentary pause and rushed forward.

Leaning over Cecilia, the Gospel pinned her down with its left arm as it brought its right hand up, fingers together in a makeshift blade. Growling, Cecilia brought her knife up into the first available target, stabbing into its chest. "Sorry, but that's a wasted effort," it told her without flinching, "Goodbye, Cecilia." As it brought its hand down to stab into her chest, Simon landed behind it. Reaching down, he grabbed its shoulders and heaved, pulling it off her and tossing it into the wall. Without even pausing to register who attacked it, the Gospel fired off a wave of bombs into Simon's face, dropping his shields by 25% and knocking him into the other wall. Stepping forward and trying to catch his breath, he stared at the Gospel as it looked back at him, its arms dropping to its sides. "B-brother? But, why?"

Ignoring it, he turned slightly to Cecilia and asked, "Are you alright?" She just nodded as she got back up, aiming at the Gospel. "You didn't really expect to keep me here, did you?" he asked, turning back to the Gospel, "You had to have seen this coming." "B-but, I thought…we… you and I, we were finally together again," it said, clearly confused, "Why? Why would you just throw me away? After all I went through to get you back…why?" Looking down, Simon thought about it for a few moments. _She deserves an answer after all she's suffered through_ he concluded as he looked back up. Even though it didn't have a real face, he could see the pain and confusion in its body language; his actions had hurt it, hurt _her_. "I've thought about what you told me," he began, "About what it took to take the form you have now. I can't express how sorry I am that you're trapped in that body, that there's nothing we can do to reverse it. But…" He stopped there, looking at Cecilia. It felt good that she had come for him, better than he was ready to admit, at least right then.

"But, I have people I care about, friends that I've made. I can't just abandon them for a chance at a 'better life.' And also, I'm sorry to say this, but you're wrong." "I'm wrong? About what?" it asked, not following. "I'm sorry, but you're not my sister," he answered, feeling like trash at how it flinched at that, "My sister died almost two years ago now. You may have her memories, but like you said, pieces are lost. Whatever you are now, you're not Sarah." He couldn't have known it at the time, but those words cut deeper than he could have ever imagined. He had been her reason for clinging to her sanity during the experiments when it would have been so easy to sink into madness and let her mind fracture. The thought of being with her brother had held her together for two years, and here he was dismissing their connection like she was a stranger.

Looking down and clenching her hands, the Gospel tried very hard to block out the anger that was trying to surface, which was extremely hard for her since her mind was now that of a machine. "Then go," it managed, "Leave now, while I still have control over myself." Without hesitation, Simon turned and followed Cecilia back the way she had come. Watching them go, the Gospel felt an almost irresistible urge to stop them. Instead, she turned around and went back towards the command center. There were matters that needed her attention, attack or not. She had decided that the Fairy had been right, and that it was time to start acting on the plans she had laid out. _Soon, they will_ all _understand this pain_ she promised.

* * *

Landing hard on her back, Maylin rolled to avoid the flames hurtling towards her. Getting back up, she trained her rifle on where the spider IS had been, only to see nothing there. Looking around the room, she reached out with all of her sensors, trying to find some hint of where it had went. This thing, whatever it was, had a very well-developed stealth system and could disappear in a flash. "What's the matter, little girl?" it taunted from the shadows, "Can't find me? Even with your 4th gen suit? That's too bad." At the last part, a bolt of energy came screaming at her from behind, forcing Maylin to duck. Coming back up, she leapt into the air to avoid another tongue of flames only to be hit by a pair of energy bolts from the side. Landing in a three point crouch, she fired at where the bolts had come from, but only hit crates and the wall. _This one is tricky_ she thought as she looked around again. Shifting her right weapon back to its rifle form, she slowly walked forward as she scanned the room.

"If I'd known you were this easy to take, I would have killed you a long time ago," it said, still trying to psych her out. "I think you will find that I am much tougher than that," Maylin responded, whirling around and firing behind her. This IS seemed to favor attacks from behind. If she could get to a wall, she would be able to limit its options and possibly force it into the open. As she neared one of the walls, she felt something tug on her left foot. Looking down, she had just enough time to see a thin thread wrapped around it before she was pulled off her feet and into the air, her head slamming into the ground and disorienting her for a moment. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked up and saw she had walked straight into a snare. Pointing one of her rifles up, she shot the wire just as three bolts came screaming towards her. Two of them missed, and the third caught her in the leg, doing negligible damage.

Dashing towards the wall, she turned and slammed her back into it, aiming outward and prepared for the next attack. "You're much more of a challenge then my previous playmates," it taunted, "Do try and keep this pace up. I don't want to get bored." "You enjoy tormenting people?" she asked, disgusted. "'There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those that have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter,'" it said, sounding like it was in some kind of ecstasy, "Ernest Hemingway. I always loved his work." While Maylin thought _that_ particular sound bite through, another pair of bolts came at her head, forcing her down and to the side, only to have flames come at her from the right. Turning the duck into a slide, she fired back along the path of the flames and heard the blast hit something besides the wall and crates. Smiling, she stood back up and slowly looked around her. "You can run, spider," she said, "But you cannot hide from me forever."

* * *

Struggling to see through the smoke, Ichika barely had enough time to dodge the Fairy's next attempt to skewer him, only to receive a knee in his stomach. Stumbling back, he charged up a beam to fire back, only to have to release the charge and use that arm to block a swing at his head. Instead, he tried to lash out with his sword, only to hit empty air as the Fairy backed away. Before he could even think about moving, it raised one of its javelins and fired into his chest, sending him back into the wall. Thankfully, he managed to avoid the fires below him. Several of the stray blasts from their battle had managed to hit ammo stores and fuel tanks, and the dock was starting to fill with smoke as the fires burned.

"Are you alright, Ichika?" Charlotte asked, landing next to him. "Yeah, I'm fine. We need to get this thing outside," he responded. Looking back at the door, he realized that it had made no attempt to block it or close it. Charging up a beam, he fired at the Fairy while Charlotte moved towards the door. When she got there, she turned and summoned her rifle, covering Ichika as he moved outside. Once they were clear of the dock, they turned and waited for it to follow, but only saw smoke pouring out of the gate. The sound of weapons fire suddenly registered with them, and they returned to the beach to see Rin, Laura, Tatenashi and Kanzashi struggling to defeat the knight IS. Ichika almost charged in to help, but stopped when he saw the change it hand undergone.

It was using its shield bits in a rotating circle, constantly adjusting them to intercept the dangerous shots aimed at it from behind, while it lashed out with its two swords, batting Rin aside. Turning, it blocked Tatenashi's attempt at stabbing it, flicking its swords out and throwing her back. Without giving her a chance to recover, it launched itself at her and brought one of its swords down, slamming her into the ground, only to bring its foot into her back and kicking her into her sister. The two landed in a heap as Laura tried to ready her cannon, only to have the knight IS in her face, its sword moving towards her stomach. Acting on impulse, Laura stopped it with her left AIC, only to look back up and see one of its cannons in her face. She didn't even have time to squeak as it fired into her face, sending her into the surf. Rin tried to put a pair of shots into its back, only to have the shield bits block them without the IS itself moving. Turning to face her, it noticed the other two pilots.

Making a decision, Ichika triggered an Ignition burst and charged the IS, preparing his last free use of his one-off. He had already used it twice trying to take out the other IS, but both attempts had ended in a miss. This would be his last before he risked his shields, and since they were currently at around 30%, it would probably result in them collapsing. As he closed on it, the IS just stood there, its swords at its sides. Right as Ichika swung, trying to cut the IS in half, it stepped back and brought two of its shield bits up. He managed to slice through them and destroy them, but they did their job and kept the sword from getting close. Growling in frustration, he tried to use his momentum for another attack, but it brought one sword up and smashed the flat end of the blade into his face, sending him rolling across the beach. Springing to his feet, he brought his sword up as the others landed around the IS in a circle. All of them had various looks of determination, but privately Ichika wondered if they would be able to beat this thing at all.

* * *

Simon and Cecilia entered the room Maylin was fighting in right as she had finally driven the spider from hiding. Lunging at it, she tried to cut the damned machine into pieces, only to be stopped by an energy bolt to the face. Leaping to the side to avoid the stunned girl, Widow saw the two new pilots and quickly dissolved back into the shadows. "Oh, looks like we have company, little girl," it said before disappearing. Getting back onto her feet, Maylin fired after it, but only hit the floor and wall; it had disappeared again. Before Cecilia and Simon could rush to her aid, she raised a hand and said, "Stop! Do not come any closer. This thing has a very effective cloak." Moving so they were back-to-back, Cecilia and Simon looked out into the room, trying to find any signs of movement.

Simon saw a flash right before an energy bolt came out of nowhere and smashed into his chest, driving him back into Cecilia. Turning to see what was wrong, she was caught by a burst of flames from behind, causing her to launch herself forward or risk cooking. Turning back, she fired along the path of the flames, only to hit nothing but the room like Maylin. "Quick little bugger, isn't it?" she asked, smiling coldly as she looked around. The three of them backed into each other, looking out and trying to find where this machine was hiding. "So, anyone have a plan to deal with this one?" Simon asked. "Don't you know how to beat them?" Cecilia asked back, sounding annoyed, "I mean, you spent _two days_ with them, and you don't know their weaknesses?" "I'm sorry, princess. They didn't exactly invite me to spar." "How about we focus on the problem at hand?" Maylin suggested, heading off any argument that might have started.

With a 'huff,' Cecilia and Simon turned their attention back outwards. "Simon, you are an expert in engineering, correct?" she asked, starting to formulate a plan. "Sort of, yes, why?" "What would be required to maintain a stealth system like this?" "Let me think," he said, racking his brain, "You would need a reflective coating to divert any radar waves, a smooth body to assist in that, and very efficient heat-sinks. Oh, and special supports on the feet to mask noise." Taking a moment to think about all of that, Maylin turned to the nearest crate and fired her rifle on a low setting, blowing the front of it off, but more importantly setting it ablaze. "What are you doing?" Simon asked only to clue in a second latter. "Cecilia, start firing at the other crates," he said as he moved to scatter the burning ones around the room. Not really following, she opened fire anyways.

In short order they had half the room on fire, the debris scattered around and making it fairly hard to see. Suddenly, Maylin opened fire into the cloud, forcing the Widow out from its hiding place. And then Cecilia understood; the spider's stealth system was effective, but that in itself was a disadvantage. With all of the fires around the heat sinks had been set against it, turning it into a cool spot against the heating background. Training her rifle on the IS, she opened fire as well, while Simon slipped off to the side and disappeared into the smoke. "Clever use of the crates in this room," it said, sounding annoyed, "But it won't do you any good in the end." When it landed, it trained its four beam rifles on Cecilia, prepared to take the British girl out. "I don't know, I think it's helping us quite a bit, Widow," Simon said, appearing beside it and slashing through one of its legs.

Growling, it jumped back and tried to shift its aim to him, only to have Maylin appear behind it and remove two more legs, as well as cut into its chest armor. Releasing a smoke screen of its own, it blinded the two and tried to disengage. But, when it jumped clear of the cloud, it was only to have Cecilia's rifle barrel in its face. "What? How?" it asked, too stunned to move. "What can I say? It's like we know each other," she responded, firing and blasting away a portion of the helmet. Stumbling back, it felt the drop in output and response as Simon's and Maylin's blades pierced its chest from behind. As they slashed their respective weapons outward, it experienced instant oblivion as its core was cut clean through. Letting the now dead machine fall to the ground in a heap, Simon took a moment to be grateful they had survived; this machine had had a very real chance at killing them all. _If they're all as bad, or worse, than this one, we've got a problem_ he thought as they moved to return to the outside. He couldn't have known how right he was.

* * *

Struggling to maintain his footing, Ichika tried to shift the sword he was blocking to the side, only for the knight to lean into it more. Glancing to the side, he saw that Kanzashi and Rin were still down, unconscious. Tatenashi, Laura and Charlotte were trying to both back him up, and keep it from getting to the other two girls. Needless to say, it wasn't going well. They were all exhausted, with shields hovering around the danger zone. Their only saving grace was that this IS wasn't making good use of its superior firepower, instead opting to use its swords and brute strength to try and pound them into a pulp. Thinking quickly, he tried to calculate how long he would have with his current energy for another one-off before deciding _screw it, time to wing it_. Triggering his one-off, he slashed clean through one of the swords before bringing the blade back towards its chest. He had managed to catch it off guard, and as a result managed to cut a good way into its chest before his energy hit zero and his shield collapsed.

Dropping the now useless sword from its left hand, the IS brought the free hand up and punched him in the chest, denting the chest plate, knocking the wind from him and cracking a few ribs. Dropping to the ground and clenching his stomach, he struggled to breathe as it stood over him. "Nice effort, boy," it said, "but you should have saved such a desperate move for latter." Bringing its foot back, it kicked him aside as Tatenashi and Laura charged the IS, brandishing their melee weapons. They had burned through their ammo a while ago, as had Charlotte. She had been forced to bring her own knife out with her shield and had moved to defend the two unconscious girls. As Laura and Tatenashi got closer, several energy bolts impacted one of the knight IS' shields. Looking back, they saw Cecilia, Maylin and Simon coming out of the wrecked main building.

"So, you've made your choice, Felix?" it asked, turning to this new threat. The others had been reduced to punching bags at this point, and it knew it. "Did you expect something different, Crusade?" he returned, landing on the beach and taking up his own stance. Maylin and Cecilia landed next to him, prepared to back the blonde in whatever he was planning. "No," it said with a sigh, "I suppose not. Your decision was clear from the beginning. I will say that I'm disappointed, you would have been a great fighter among our ranks." Without hesitation, it brought its cannon barrels up, two above its shoulders and two below. Seeing the electricity ark between them, Simon immediately understood the type of attack. "You two, move! Now!" he yelled, ducking to the side. The other girls did, and just barely avoided the blast. It wasn't the four independent shots they had expected, it was one massive blast that carried out over the water and would have probably killed them right there.

Getting back up, Simon charged the IS, deploying his other wrist blade and hoping that his IS would continue to hold out under this strain. He was already starting to get warnings that certain systems were starting to fail. _As long as flight isn't one of them_ he thought as he brought his right arm forward, only to impact one of the shield bits. Using the impact as momentum, he spun around the bit and brought his right foot up, deploying the blade and slashing into its chest. As the knight brought its own sword into play, Maylin moved in on its left side, slashing away at the other shield bit. Trying to fend off the two attackers, it didn't realize that Cecilia had taken flight. Aiming carefully, she put a bolt into its left shoulder, causing it to stumble back. Taking advantage of this, Simon and Maylin moved in and attacked as one. She cut through the left arm just below the elbow while he slashed through its right knee, putting it off balance. Before it could even start to topple Cecilia put another bolt into its chest, sending it to the ground.

The knight IS lashed out with its remaining shield bits, knocking the two back while it activated its flight system and took off. Bringing its cannons into play, it fired in volleys rather than the one large blast. Charlotte grabbed Rin while Tatenashi grabbed her sister as they were forced to scatter to avoid the blasts. Cecilia, meanwhile, had been trying to return fire, but the blasted machine was blocking her shots with its shield bits. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she deployed her own bits and sent them off. Suddenly, the IS accelerated towards her, blowing through her bits and bringing its remaining sword down. Reacting on instinct, she brought her rifle up to block the blow, and it managed to work, mostly. It cut into the barrel, rendering it useless, but stopped at the body of the gun. Twisting the rifle, she trapped the sword in it and brought them face-to-face. "Now your sword is mine," she growled, summoning her knife and hoping to take the machine out.

Rather than struggle to free its weapon, the IS let go of the handle and drifted back, bringing two of its cannons into her face and firing at point-blank. The blast destroyed the rifle and sword, and also managed to bring her shields down into the single-digit range. Before it could finish her, Maylin was behind it, slashing into and destroying one of the guns. Whirling around, the IS grabbed the handle of its battle axe and brought it down on her, smashing one of her swords and sending her back a few meters. Simon was right behind her, however, and lashed out with his own blades, stabbing both into its chest and breaking the left one off. Bringing its arm up, it used the handle of the axe and struck him in the throat, sending him back and gasping for air. It followed that blow up with another, smashing one of its shield bits into him before triggering its self-destruct, consuming him in a ball of smoke and fire.

Maylin took that as her que to attack and swept in beneath it, finishing Simon's work and severing the right leg. As she came up to face level, the IS let go of its axe and grasped her shoulder. Stunned, she tried to bring her other blade up into its chest, only to have the other shield bit slam into that arm. While the bit impaled itself on the sword, it was still intact enough to stop her from bringing the sword up fast enough. "Game over, little girl," it said as it brought its remaining cannons around. While she was too close to be shot outright, she was close enough to the point of convergence for it to hurt. As the guns took the second to charge, Maylin felt her suit receiving some of it, sparks starting to fly from the damage she had taken. Before anyone could try and get her away from the IS, it fired, the blast going out towards the water. They could barely hear it, but Simon knew he heard Maylin's scream of pain.

When the blast subsided, it let go of the girl and let her drop down to the ground before turning to the others. Before Simon could act, it fired off several canisters around it from hidden compartments around its armor, creating a massive smoke screen. Rather than try and take it at close range, Simon soared back down onto the beach and picked up the unconscious Maylin before saying, "Grab the others, we need to go, now." Without arguing the point, they grabbed their wounded teammates and made their way off the island. Looking at the girl in his arms, Simon felt a pang of guilt. She had risked her life for him, someone she had never known until a few weeks ago. There was something else, though, something that he couldn't pin down. For whatever reason, holding her like this felt _right_ , and he didn't know if that should comfort him or not.

* * *

An hour into their flight back, Maylin awoke and realized the position she was in, and who was carrying her. Looking up without moving her head, she was thankful that her helmet was still intact. It allowed her to examine the boy holding her closely without alerting him to it. She could see why her mother had been stricken with him when they had met; he was very handsome up close. His eyes were the most striking; a deep green, they looked unbearably sad up close, but also very caring. It was almost enough to make her try and comfort him, but she knew it wasn't her place. He was Cecilia's, and it would have been wrong to try and get between their happiness for the sake of her own. Instead, she reached up and tapped his chest plate to get his attention while she collapsed her helmet.

When he looked down, she said, "Thank you for the help, but I can fly on my own." "You sure?" he asked, concerned, "You took a bit of a pounding back there." When she nodded, he stopped and released her. He watched in concern as she steadied herself before turning and catching up with the others. Rin and Kanzashi had woken up by this point, but their IS were too damaged to manage flight, so they were forced to let Charlotte and Tatenashi carry them back. Bringing up a self-diagnostic, Maylin took stock of her own damage and was stunned with what she found. Her IS was barely holding together after that battle, which made her wonder how so many of them were able to fly at all, considering they were all using less advanced suits. However, it wasn't the damage to her suit that concerned her the most. Looking back at Simon, she made sure his attention was focused forward and not on her. _We just need to all get back, and it will be fine_ she thought as they continued along.

* * *

Looking at her wounded comrade, Sarah felt anger like she never had before. They had come and attacked their home, stolen her brother, killed one of her friends and severely damaged another. Crusade was undergoing extensive repairs, and she was clearly _not_ happy with the fact that she had been so badly damaged. The only silver lining had been that she had unlocked her second shift, highlighting another part of the technology they depended on that annoyed them all. For whatever reason, despite the fact that they were one with their IS they weren't able to consciously trigger their higher shifts. Fairy was still waiting on hers, and Widow…well, she would never get the chance. They were still looking over her remains, but what had happened was fairly clear; she had been overpowered by three different opponents. Sarah was willing to bet that it had been that British girl, the other girl with the 4th gen IS and her brother. That last one hurt her more than the other two, since she had pinned so many of her hopes on him.

 _And he just walked away_ she thought again. She had been playing that scene over and over again, trying to decide if there had been something she could have done differently. But, no matter what she simulated, the end result was the same; he had chosen that girl over his own _sister_ , regardless of what it would do to her. "Gos...Sarah, we need to make a decision," Fairy said, trying to be diplomatic. She knew full well what she was trying to process and could imagine just how hard it was for her to come to grips with it. She was more than used to fights and death, but Sarah wasn't, at least not when it was people she knew. "I know we do," Sarah answered, turning away from the window and heading back to the control room, "We're going ahead with your plan." "Are you sure? It's going to take a lot more material than we have available here." "I'm sure. Start loading the ships with whatever we can. As soon as Crusade is repaired, we sail. And one more thing," she said, turning back and facing Fairy, "It's Gospel, not Sarah."

 **The second battle has come to an end, and both sides have suffered loses. What will come from Simon's denouncement of his connection to the Gospel? What kind of plans have the IS laid against them? And what will it take to put Crusade down? (spoiler; it's going to take a hell of a lot) Till next chapter, dear readers.**

 **Damn, that was a long one. This is probably only going to happen with this fight and one or two others, so don't use this as the new standard. Just had too much happening at once and I didn't want to brush over too much.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17; Goodbye, My Friends

-The day Maylin is sent back-

"Maylin, can you come here a moment?" Tabane asked, getting up from the monitoring station. She had been finalizing the adjustments to the calibration of the various machines they had thrown together for this effort. On a whim she had calculated the odds of success against their enemy several months ago, and the results had been less then promising. She had made an effort to keep her cheerful demeanor going to keep everyone else in good spirits, but even she was starting to run out of spirit. Now, they were attempting a plan that Tabane had drawn up out of boredom one day years ago. _I can't believe one of my pointless doodles is now one of our greatest hopes_ she thought as she checked the readings again. They had put together this rig in three weeks, trying hard to keep it under the radar but also finish it as quickly as possible.

Tabane had forged orders three days ago to get Maylin transferred to her current lab in order to prepare the girl for the job she had in mind. However, when she had explained her insane plan to the girl, she hadn't believed her at first. "You think you can send me back in time? Seriously?" she had asked, starting to sound outraged, "You would have me leave, abandon the fight here? How could you even suggest I do something like that!?" Sitting on the other side of the table, Tabane had allowed her to vent her frustrations. Frustrations that she knew had been building in the girl since her mother had died to save her. Shortly after the incident, she had taken Maylin in and began to give her more advanced training, as well as improving her IS.

However, her efforts hadn't improved Maylin's fortunes in battle by much. She was still a fearsome opponent, but the enemy was beginning to field more and more units at a time, and even a 4th generation suit could only handle so much before being overwhelmed. Tabane could only imagine how many it had taken to beat her sister, since she was sure that is what had happened by now. There had still been no contact from Japan as a whole, to say nothing of the Academy. She had commandeered a spy satellite for a brief look at the Academy grounds, and if she hadn't known that it was looking at the right place, the battle-scarred island could have been any other island facility that had been attacked. The Academy was gone, and she knew that it meant the defenders were, too. Chifuyu would have taken to the front personally, and Houki would never have abandoned her to fight alone. She was Houki's only remaining link to Ichika, a death she had taken very hard. And while it pained her immensely to admit it, Tabane knew full well how that battle would have ended.

"There's no choice, Maylin," she had said after the girl had calmed down, "I ran projections based on what we have remaining. Unless we score a decisive victory in the next week, they will just keep whittling down our forces." "Then we wait a week, and if it does not improve, we run this plan past our superiors," she had responded, still trying to find some other way out. "Maylin, it would take too long to convince them, and it would mean risking discovery. We can't take that chance, not now. And remember who you're talking to. I know what I'm doing." "But-" Raising a hand, Tabane cut off any further argument before she activated a hollo projector in the table. The image was of the mostly finished time travel device. It consisted of a number of particle accelerator rings set at various angles surrounding a central core.

"This device is our only way of ensuring victory, in any form," she said, getting up and walking around the table, "If it works the way I believe it will, we can send someone back to before this all started. We have a chance to stop all of this death before it starts. But to make it work, I need your help." "Why would you need me?" Maylin asked, confused, "I do not understand half of the mathematics involved in this device." Stopping next to her chair, Tabane leaned on the table and looked down at the girl. She looked so much like her mother, but at the same time she could see the same fire in her that her father had possessed. She reminded her of him so much that it hurt some days. Not just because he had been one of the few people she had been able to talk tech with, but because it always resulted in her remembering all of the others that had died. "That's not why," she said, struggling to control her emotions, "I need your help because you are the only one I trust to do this."

"Why? Why not use a trained soldier?" she asked, looking at her teacher, "Or an IS pilot with more experience? Surely there are dozens of people more qualified than me." "When you put it that way, there are," Tabane answered, "But none of them are as close to this as you are, or to be more specific, your family." Maylin just sat there, not really understanding. What did her family have to do with this? "Simon confided in me at one point, a year after you were born, when the fighting was just starting," Tabane continued, "He told me that the IS leading these machines had been his sister at one point, but that she had become twisted by some fault in her systems. He also said that when they were taking their covert actions, that they seemed determined on capturing him. That's why I need _you_ to do this. It's your family that will be their target, and I can't take the chance that some stranger will care about that as much as you will."

After that, she had just stood there as Maylin processed what she had just learned. Finally, she looked up and asked, "What do you need me to do?" From that point on Maylin helped out as much as she was able. Tabane had put the finishing touches on the machine before turning it over to her staff for the final adjustments. She had then gone to work on another of her projects, one that they would need to have completed before Maylin was sent back. Now, as she walked over to her safe while the machine powered up, she prayed that she had built these devices properly. Opening the safe, she took out a metal container the size and shape of a shoe box that held something she prayed would never be needed. Turning back around, she saw that Maylin had come into the room and was looking out the observation window at the machine.

"So, it is time," she said simply, turning around and facing Tabane. Walking up to her, she handed Maylin the box and nodded. Taking it, she looked back at the machine and asked, "Will it hurt?" "Impossible to say," Tabane answered, "All I know is that it will send you back, but it's one-way. There is no coming back." Maylin just nodded as she looked down at the box. "Now listen, Maylin. That box contains our trump card, but it's a big risk. Don't use it unless you have no choice." "And how will I know that it will need to be used?" "Trust me, you'll know," Tabane told her, trying to smile and act like her old self. It was something that was becoming increasingly difficult for her these past few days.

Turning away from the window, Maylin made her way out the door and down the walkway to the machine. Setting the box down, she entered the main chamber and summoned her IS. Two technicians then proceeded to attach the box to her back before hooking several pipes and wires onto her IS. When they moved away, the chamber closed around her, sealing her in a sphere of metal. Walking over to the main console, Tabane typed in some final commands before flipping the plastic cover off the activation switch. She took a moment to breathe a prayer to anyone that might have been listening before she flipped the switch. The accelerators started almost immediately, the main room starting to fill with electric arks as they built up a charge. After charging for three minutes the accelerators fired off their first blast, causing a shock wave through the base and shorting out several monitors. Standing by the window, Tabane watched as the machine steadily built up power again and began to tear the very fabric of space apart.

The accelerators fired again, and this time the wave fried the rest of the monitors. It was now completely under the control of the shielded systems, they had no way of stopping it now. The pod had begun to shimmer around the edges, starting to waver as the hole grew larger. When the accelerators fired again, the pod lit up like a Christmas tree, sparks of lighting firing off from its surface. As the accelerators fired their fourth blast, the pod disappeared in a flash of light, creating a thunderclap throughout the room. The accelerator rings broke down at that point, coming apart and sending metal fragments flying across the room and embedding several of them into the window. Looking at the smoking metal where the pod had once been, Tabane took a moment to wish her student, her _friend_ , good luck in her mission.

-Present Day-

As they approached the beach, Maylin saw that Tabane and Chifuyu were waiting for them. Tabane looked immensely happy that everyone had made it back, while Chifuyu looked like normal; a weird combination of bored and pissed-off. Letting the others land first, she took some time to try and pull herself together. She had been feeling light headed for the last half hour, probably from a minor concussion. When she landed on the beach, however, her legs buckled immediately when she put weight on them, her IS destructing in a flash of light. Rushing to her side, Simon put an arm around her shoulders and kept her from falling completely before he eased her down so she was sitting. Cecilia was right next to him, the two of them looking very concerned. The others gathered around her a moment latter, mirroring the looks of concern on the two blonde's faces.

"I-I am okay," she managed after a moment, "Just a little light headed is all." "No, you're not fine," Simon said as he pulled one of his hands away from her. Looking at it, she saw blood, and it took her a moment to realize that it was hers. Hanging her head, she smiled slightly at the irony of this situation. She had concealed a wound before, and it hadn't fooled her mother. Why would it be different with her father? "Do not worry, it does not hurt," she told him, trying to comfort him. "That's not something to be proud of, idiot," he said, trying to sound tough, "Now come on, we need to get you to the hospital." Before he could try and pick her up, she reached up and grabbed his hand. "No, you do not. It… I am sorry, but it will not help now," she said as she felt herself starting to get colder.

It took Simon a few seconds to understand what she meant, but when he did his eyes widened and he said, "No, don't say that. You're going to be fine, I promise." At this point, Cecilia had kneeled down on her other side and taken her other hand. "He's right, Maylin. We're going to get you some help. Just hold on." In fact, once she realized what was going on, Chifuyu had immediately brought out her phone and was calling an ambulance. Releasing Simon's hand, Maylin activated a special control through her IS' stand-by mode and summoned the metal box she had been trusted with. "You are going to need that, Simon," she said, looking up at him, "It is now up to you to finish this. I have done all that I can." "That's not true. You can do so much more. Just hang in there, we're going to get you help," he said, grasping her shoulder. Damnit, he was _not_ going to lose someone else, not again.

Smiling weakly at him, she said, "It is alright, I knew something like this was going to happen. I am just glad that I got the chance to know you and everyone else." Cecilia had started to cry at this point, and Simon wasn't too far behind her. Ichika had put an arm around Charlotte, who was covering her mouth and trying not to cry. Rin was just looking down with tears streaming down her cheeks while Tatenashi comforted her sister. Even Laura was fighting her own tears as she watched her teammate, her friend, slip away. "And you're going to get to learn more," Simon said, refusing to accept what was happening, "So much more. You can't just go, not now. Please, Maylin…" Sighing, Maylin noticed that her vision was starting to fade. If she concentrated, she could just make out a figure standing before her, two in fact. She could swear that it was her parents. "It will be okay, Simon," she said, barely above a whisper, "I...will see…you…again…"

And with that, her eyes finally closed, her hand going limp in Cecilia's. "Maylin?" Simon said, reaching up and checking her neck. When he felt nothing, it was like his world had fallen away. Seeing the look on his face, Cecilia hung her head and finally let the tears come, sobbing openly. Letting his head fall, Simon felt his own starting to come and did nothing to stop them. Instead, he just cried out, venting all of his pain and frustration. _Damnit! Again, I let it happen again_ he thought as he cried. After swearing to himself to never lose someone he cared for again, he had just watched a good friend die. And there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Not a damned thing.

* * *

When the paramedics arrived they took Maylin back to the hospital, leaving behind a group of bereaved teens. Before any of them could try and follow the ambulance, Chifuyu blocked their path and told them all, in no uncertain terms, to return to the hotel. Lacking any will to argue, they had complied and returned to their rooms, each of them struggling with their own feelings on what had just happened. The day passed in silence for each of them. The next day, at around noon, Simon made his way down to the restaurant in the hotel, his hunger finally overpowering his grief. When he had grabbed his food, he saw that Ichika was already there, poking his own food without much of an appetite. Walking over to the table, he set his food down and sat opposite his friend. They sat in silence and ate for a time before Ichika finally spoke up.

"Tabane told me that Houki's condition improved shortly after we left," he said, trying to sound cheerful, "They think she'll wake up any day now." "And then what will you do?" "Well, I guess I'll be there to help her reco-" "That's not what I mean," Simon interrupted, "I mean what will _you_ do? Or are you going to keep avoiding this?" "What do you mean? Avoid what?" Ichika asked, confused. "Damnit, Ichika, stop playing the moron!" Simon said, slamming his fork down, "Hell, it's obvious to most of us how much you two have in common. How much longer are you going to put off admitting what you feel for her?" Surprised at his friend's outburst, Ichika took a moment to think about it. He really hadn't realized he had been putting something off, but now that he looked back on his actions it was clear that he had been.

"H-has it really been that obvious?" he finally asked, feeling himself starting to blush. "Well, you did notice that Laura stopped calling you her wife, right?" Simon said, "Rin stopped trying to seduce you after the first week. Charlotte, God bless her, still tried, but even she's begun to understand who you're interested in. It's high time that you did, to." After that, they just sat in silence while Ichika thought about that. Finally, Simon stood up and took what was left of his lunch over and dumped it into a trash can. Walking past the table, he said, "Just don't wait too long to say something, or you might miss your chance." Ichika remained at the table for a few minutes before he trashed the rest of his food and left to visit the hospital.

After checking in at the desk, he went up to Houki's room to find Tabane sitting beside her bed already. She had been holding her hand and talking to her sister, mostly just mindless technical babble. It was clear to the bluenette that she was just making noise and trying to help her sister, although she also clearly had no idea how to do that. Turning around, she saw Ichika and tried to look happy. "Oh, Ichika, it's good you're here. I think she's got some more color today." "Does she? That's good," he said, forcing a smile and walking over to the bed. Before he could say or do anything, Tabane got up and pushed him down into the chair. "You stay right here. I need to run and get something," she said before darting out of the room, leaving a bewildered teen behind.

Shaking his head, he turned and looked at the sleeping girl before him. For whatever reason, he hadn't truly realized how beautiful she looked till now. If it wasn't for the fact that she was in the hospital and had an IV in her arm, he would have sworn she was sleeping peacefully. Reaching up and taking her hand, he struggled to say what he had come to say. "Houki, I really do hope you wake up soon," he began, "And I promise that when you do, things will be different. I don't know why I didn't realize this until now, but you're important to me. And not just as a friend. Houki, I…" He trailed off there and hung his head, his emotions getting the better of him and choking his words off.

Unknown to him, Houki had opened her eyes when he had started to speak. Now she looked at the boy she had been crushing on for so long, the boy that had very nearly admitted to sharing the same feelings. She flexed her hand and grabbed his back, breaking him out of whatever place he was stuck in. "H-Houki?" he said as he looked up and met her eyes, "Are you…?" She smiled and nodded, feeling herself blush slightly. _He does care_ she thought as she pushed herself a little more upright. Practically leaping from the chair, he reached around her and helped her up, propping the pillows up so she would be more comfortable. In the process, he hadn't realized how close he had gotten until he looked back at her. She was close enough that he could see every detail in her eyes, and it captivated him in a way he had never imagined. Houki, meanwhile, was gazing back in an equal state, unwilling to do anything to end this moment.

"U-um…I," Ichika began before Houki brought a finger up and silenced him. "It's okay, Ichika. I do, to," she said, smiling. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he leaned in and kissed her gently. At first, she was too surprised to do anything. When he moved back slightly and looked at her again, she nodded before she leaned up and kissed him back, longer this time. They stayed there for a few moments before breaking off to breathe. Ichika then fell back into his chair, blushing madly and looking flustered. For whatever reason Houki found the look on his face incredibly funny and started to laugh, softly at first but quickly making its way up to laughter bordering on tears. Looking at her in confusion, Ichika was soon caught up in it and laughing along with her. After they finally caught their breath, the tension between them seemed to have disappeared completely. Sitting there, they talked idly for the rest of the day, both of them finally grateful to have these emotions out in the open.

* * *

Walking back towards his room, Simon got a strange feeling as he touched the doorknob. Rather than return to his room, he turned around and went down the hall before taking a right. Finally, he found himself in front of Cecilia's door. Knocking, he heard no reply and thought that she may have been asleep. Before he turned to leave, however, the door opened to reveal a rather untidy British girl. It was clear that she had been crying and had gone with little sleep; her eyes were red and slightly swollen, and she had bags under them. "Did you need something?" she asked abruptly. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. She just looked and sounded so much different from the girl he had known. "I thought we could talk," he said finally, "Can I come in?"

Without saying anything, she turned around and walked back into the room. As he followed her and closed the door, he saw that she was dressed in her pajamas and that her hair was a mess, which just added to the sense that something was genuinely wrong. She was so much tidier than this normally. As she climbed back onto the bed, Simon grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to the bed before sitting down. She just sat there, trying to look mad, though at what he didn't know. "Well?" she said, sounding mad as well. "Don't try and act mad with me, Cecilia," he said, sighing, "I can see right through it." "Oh really? I didn't know I was that transparent. Is this the part where I'm supposed to just pour all of my feelings out to you?" she said, her voice straining, "Is it because we're supposed to be an 'item?' Is that it? Are you trying to capitalize on my emotional state? Maybe you're hoping to get lucky." "What? That's not why-" he began before she cut him off. "Honestly, why you would think that I would just open up to you know is beyond me. Is it because we kissed? That was nothing, and it doesn't mean a damned thing. I was just being stupid and impulsive, nothing more. Do you understand me?"

She practically yelled the last part, and for a brief moment Simon thought she was telling the truth. Then he remembered what had happened yesterday, the memory crashing through his mind as he looked down at his clasped hands. Of course she would be mad, even if it wasn't at him. "I'm sorry, Cecilia," he said, feeling lower than trash, "I'm so sorry. If I had made a move earlier, if I had done something…" He didn't see it, but the moment he looked down, Cecilia's anger evaporated as she saw how hurt he was. Good God, this was the boy she loved, and she had just ripped into him, telling him that everything between them was a lie. That just further crushed her as she felt herself on the edge of tears. Looking up and seeing this, he decided that now was not the time to be cowardly.

Without her realizing it, he got up from the chair and moved to sit next to her on the bed. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he said, "It's okay now, Cecilia." "How? How is any of this going to be okay?" she asked, trying hard not to cry. Pulling her closer, he kissed her hair and said, "Because I'm going to _make_ it okay. I'm not going anywhere again, I promise." She just nodded as she began to cry again. Leaning back, Simon pulled her down so they were lying on the bed and continued to hold her. They remained there for some time as he let her get it all out of her system. He knew that this was doing her more good than just leaving her alone. And besides, he meant what he had said; he was not about to leave again. When she had run out of tears, Simon propped himself up on one arm so he could look at her easier.

For a while, she refused to meet his eyes, too embarrassed at her actions. Smiling, he put a hand under her chin and angled her head so they were looking at each other. Rather than say anything and risk ruining the moment, he just lay there as they looked at each other. He didn't know it at the time, but this was doing as much to comfort her as it was him. They were both trying to etch every detail of the other's face into their minds, trying to find some indication of the others emotions. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her briefly. Before he could pull more than a few centimeters away, Cecilia had reached out and pulled him in, kissing him deeper and rolling so she was now sitting on top of him. After she released him to breathe, she kept her face close as they both panted. _Screw it, I've put this off for too long_ Cecilia thought as she gazed at him. "Simon, I love you," she said, fighting down the blush. To her surprise, and immense joy, he responded, "I love you to, Cecilia," before he pulled her into another kiss.

 **Blood has been spilled, and our heroes have been dealt a serious blow. However, they have also been given a great gift. The final showdown is coming, and whether they will be prepared for it remains to be seen. What is the nature of Maylin's box? What will the IS' next move be? And more importantly, will everyone that is left survive the next encounter with an enemy that has only gotten stronger? Till next chapter.**

 **To say that I felt bad writing this would have been an understatement. I knew full well that this was going to happen eventually, but I still felt REALLY bad writing this character's death. That said, I finally paired Ichika with someone! Although I'm sure a few of you saw that one coming. Also, they finally said it!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Truth or Lie?

Watching Chifuyu staring at the box sitting on the coffee table, Tabane imagined she was trying to glare it into submission. It was a tactic she could use on anyone she met and it usually worked within the first ten seconds of exposure, the afflicted going into shock and stammering like an idiot before finally giving in. The box, however, was putting up much more of a fight and was steadfastly refusing to be intimidated by what was, in Tabane's opinion, one of the scariest people on the planet when she needed to be. Tabane had been working on her computer to try and open the lock ever since yesterday, when Maylin had given it to them. _Before she died_ she thought, suddenly overcome with feelings of gloom that she was not used to. Shaking her head, she focused completely on the screen before her, determined to not be outsmarted by this box.

"Well?" Chifuyu asked, starting to tap her foot in frustration. This thing was the only real answer they had gotten, and it was steadfastly refusing to give up its secrets. While she would have loved to talk with Simon about what he had experienced, now was definitely not the time. "Almost… Got it!" Tabane exclaimed as the lock chimed. The top of the box split down the middle and opened, revealing two devices. They were plated in black and gold, rectangular in shape, with a white crystal at the center and rounded edges, like pipes. Reaching towards the box, Tabane almost grabbed one before a concealed hollo projector lit up. And just like that, there was a miniature version of Tabane facing her, although this woman had a scar along her jaw and looked much more sad than the one sitting on the couch.

"Hello, my past me," it said, "Before you ask, I know that it was you that cracked this lock. No one else in the world could have, and I should know since I designed it." "Well, she definitely sounds like you, Tabane," Chifuyu said as she walked around and sat next to her. "If you are watching this, than it means the worst has come to pass and Maylin has been unable to stop this enemy from reaching its critical mass," it continued, "In that event, I designed a forced upgrade module for the IS. These are the devices you see now. They will observe their pilot's actions before forcibly triggering the suit's next shift. In addition, they are designed to bring the suit up to 4th generation standards. However, it is an unproven technology, and I don't know what kinds of side-effects they may have on the machine or pilot. I hope that you will choose wisely who you give these to, because once they are integrated with the IS they cannot be removed. I pray that you will succeed where we have failed."

With that, the hologram disappeared, leaving behind more questions than it had answered. Reaching into the box, Tabane removed one of the devices and examined it closer. "So, what do you think we should do, Chifu-ni?" Tabane asked. She was immensely curious about the nature of this module, but at the same time she wasn't so sure that she wanted to know, which was a new feeling for her. This was a technology gifted to them from her future self, specifically designed for battle. That was something she hadn't always supported, even though she knew that it was inevitable with the technology and the way that people acted. "We don't do anything," Chifuyu said, getting up and walking over to get more coffee, "You, however, will study these devices intensely, without installing them into an IS. _If_ they do what that hologram said, and _if_ we end up needing them, then we will have to choose the pilots carefully." Filling her cup, she returned to her own work as Tabane got to work on the modules, with lab equipment appearing from nowhere at the girl's command. Privately, Chifuyu knew a few people she would trust with that kind of power, but she knew that she would need to talk with them about it first, and that right now was not the time.

* * *

The next morning, Cecilia awoke to the feeling of something warm next to her. Without opening her eyes, she moved her head slightly and heard a steady heartbeat. Remembering the other evening, she opened her eyes and looked at the sleeping boy next to her. After she had finally released him from their kiss, he had stayed with her all afternoon, talking with her and helping her work through some of the grief. She had also told him everything she had learned from Maylin, and for whatever reason he wasn't very surprised about learning he was the girl's father. "I knew there was something familiar about her," he had said, "She reminded me a lot of Sarah. I guess spunk runs in the family." This comment earned him a playful punch in the shoulder and a giggle from Cecilia.

He had also proceeded to tell her everything he had learned, and it just made her feel worse for him. She had been hoping that the Gospel was just playing some kind of game, that its supposed connection was just it trying to mess with his mind. To learn that it was truly what remained of his sister was, in some ways, worse. Not only that, but to learn that _all_ of the machines had fragments of people's minds in them was also a shock, and it really brought into question their actions up to now. "How are we going to tell the others?" she had asked. "I think the question is whether or not we tell them at all," he responded, "But, I think we're going to have to tell Chifuyu and Tabane, at the very least. They might be able to make more sense of this than we can."

As the afternoon turned into the evening, they continued to talk before finally giving in to their exhaustion and falling asleep. Now, as she propped herself up to look at Simon, she smiled slightly at how far they had come. Not a few months ago, they had been dancing around the point, with the occasional phrase betraying their emotions. Now they were sharing the same bed, unashamed to be sleeping with the one they loved. _And I do truly love him_ she thought again, glad at how good it felt to admit it. Lying back down so her head was on his chest, she closed her eyes and let his heartbeat lull her back to sleep. Well, almost, since a few seconds later he woke up and shifted slightly, causing her to moan slightly in annoyance. Another minute and she would have been out again. Instead, she looked up and saw him smiling down at her.

"You comfortable there, princess?" he asked, trying not to laugh. She still looked like a mess, since she hadn't really tried to clean herself up the other day. But this was a good kind of mess, and it just made her seem more beautiful to him. "Mmhm," she mumbled before pulling herself closer and trying to fall back asleep. Before she could, however, Simon sat up, forcing her to lie back on the bed with another huff of annoyance. "While I would love to lay here with you all day," Simon said while trying not to laugh, "I would like to eat. I assume you would, too." As he said this Cecilia's stomach growled rather loudly, causing the British girl to blush rather badly. Laughing softly, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead before turning around and grabbing his coat. She got up a minute later and walked over to the bathroom. "You wouldn't happen to need any help, would you, princess?" Simon asked playfully, causing Cecilia to blush.

"I can dress myself, peasant," she said, sticking her tongue out at him before closing the door. He just laughed again as he sat down to wait. He was still trying to fully wrap his mind around what had happened the previous night. _"I love you, Simon" "I love you, to, Cecilia" Yeah, we really did say it_ he thought again, trying to cement the idea in his mind. It still didn't feel quite real, but he still felt better with it out there. Now they just had to suffer through whatever teasing Rin would come up with. A few minutes later Cecilia emerged from the bathroom, dressed, cleaned up and looking more like her old self. Getting up, he took her hand as they left the room and made their way down to the restaurant. When they arrived, the sight that met them was enough to stop them short.

All of their friends were sitting at one of the larger tables, eating and looking like they were having a rather good time. What surprised Cecilia the most, and made Simon smile, was that Ichika and Houki were sitting rather close to each other, occasionally looking at each other and blushing slightly. After grabbing their food, Cecilia and Simon joined them. "So, you finally pulled the trigger, Ichika?" Simon asked as they sat down, causing Houki to turn a brighter red and Ichika to do a spit take. Before either of them could respond, he continued, "Relax, I'm just teasing you. It's about damned time you two stopped dancing around it." _Damn, I sound like Rin now_ he thought the second the words were out of his mouth. And sure enough, Rin was grinning at him, thinking the same thing. "So, Simon, did Cecilia tell you about _it_ yet?" she asked, looking an awful lot like some petite demon. The next few hours were filled with idle chatter and sporadic laughter. It was fairly pleasant until Houki asked, "Does anyone know where Maylin is? I haven't seen her around."

Instantly, the mood at the table shifted as everyone had the memories they had been trying to block out come back. Looking at their darkened faces, Houki was utterly confused. Had she been badly hurt? "Houki, she…" Ichika began as he reached out and grabbed her hand, "Maylin is… she didn't make it." It took her a few moments to fully understand what he meant before she looked at the rest of them, hoping against all odds that Ichika was wrong. Her friends, however, were unable to meet her gaze, unwilling to give her false hope. "No," she said finally, "Why? She was always so… why her?" As she started to tear up, Ichika moved in and hugged her while the others struggled with their own feelings.

Before things could slide much farther downhill, Maya walked up behind them. "Excuse me," she said, sensing the gloomy atmosphere, "Simon, Cecilia, could you come with me, please?" Without a word, they got up and followed their teacher, hoping that their friends would be able to help Houki deal with the news she had received. _Can't imagine how much she's going to take this personally_ he thought as they followed Maya. After a brief, but awkward, elevator ride they found themselves looking at the door to Chifuyu's room. After knocking briefly, Maya opened the door and led them in. Seeing what looked like a mini-lab set up in one corner of the room was enough to bring Simon up short, although what Cecilia was focusing on was the fact that Chifuyu was sitting at the table with three cups of coffee before her. "Thank you, Maya," Chifuyu said, breaking Simon out of his little daze, "You can go."

Taking the implied hint, Simon and Cecilia took the seats opposite their teacher while Maya left the room. As they sat down, Tabane came out of the bathroom, looking rather relieved about something. When she saw the two kids in the room, her mood brightened a bit as she sat with Chifuyu. _She's not trying to smother Chifuyu in a hug. That's not a good sign_ Simon thought as they continued to sit there in silence. "So, how are you feeling, Si-kun?" Tabane asked finally, "They didn't do any permanent damage, I hope." "The only damage was to my pride, and my IS," he responded, trying to keep his voice neutral. "I noticed. You'll be happy to know that I've taken the time to repair the damage while improving its response time. No need to thank me, Si-kun," she said with a smile. Before he could press her for details, Chifuyu interrupted. "I hate to have to ask you this, but I fear that time is a luxury we don't have. I need to know what you know about this enemy, Simon. And I mean everything, not just what's convenient for you to say."

Looking at Cecilia, he saw that she was a little nervous about saying anything about what they had already discussed. "Before I say anything, I need you to promise something," he said, looking between them, "What we tell you doesn't leave this room unless it absolutely has to. Agreed?" "And why is that?" "You'll know why as soon as I tell you." Knowing this boy wasn't one for tall tales, they both nodded. Taking a deep breath, and taking Cecilia's hand for support, Simon proceeded to tell them everything they had learned. Everything from their individual conversations with Maylin, to Simon's time with the human IS. To their credit, Tabane and Chifuyu stayed respectfully quiet; although Simon saw Tabane's face cloud over the moment he told them about the process that turned his sister into the Gospel. Aside from that, there was no reaction from the two women during the entire story. When he had finally finished, it was Chifuyu who responded first.

"Alright, Simon," she said, straining to keep her voice down, "I only have one question; why the hell didn't you tell us any of this sooner?" "Because… I didn't know how to start," he said, looking down, "And besides, I didn't want any special treatment from you if they were targeting me. I can take care of myself." "Clearly you can't, and that's something you need to get through your skull," she responded, getting up and walking over to face him, "You do anything like this again and there _will_ be consequences. Am I understood, Felix?" Before he could even respond, he made the mistake of looking into her eyes and seeing something he wasn't expecting. It wasn't the glare he had expected; it was concern, for him, for his friends. Hanging his head, Simon felt the guilt he had been trying to control surfacing again. And why not? This was all his fault; if he hadn't surrendered to the enemy, hadn't allowed himself to be captured, if he hadn't…

Before he could slide any deeper into that pit of despair, Cecilia reached over and slapped him, snapping him out of it. "Stop that," she said, looking at him in concern, "You aren't responsible for this, any of it." Tightening his grip on her hand, he nodded as he tried to get control of himself again. To his surprise, Chifuyu leaned down and hugged him, completely tossing aside the 'tough teacher' act. After a little while, she stood back up and returned to her seat. Simon smiled and nodded at her, his way of saying 'I'm fine now.' "Now, we come to the matter of Maylin's gift to us," she said as Tabane brought out the upgrade modules. It didn't take the two long to explain what they were, and what they were supposed to do. "I've run what tests I can on them," Tabane said, "But they appear to be inactive. There are a lot of code fragments and half-finished protocols. My guess is that the gaps in the programs are filled in with data about the pilot, but we can't be sure."

"Why not?" Cecilia asked as she picked one up and examined it. They were fairly pretty when she looked at them up close. "Because, according to the future me, once they are installed, they can't be _un_ installed. It's a one-time upgrade, no take-backs," she answered, sounding slightly annoyed. For whatever reason, that part of the technology irked her, and the fact that she couldn't pin down a precise reason why just added to her frustration. "You didn't try dismantling them, did you?" Simon asked, knowing full well what _he_ would have done in her place. "What, me? And why would I do that, Si-kun?" she asked sweetly, getting a soft laugh out of the boy. _That's more like it_ she thought as she smiled back. "The question is," Chifuyu said, "Do we believe the message? And if we do, who gets these upgrades?" "You're forgetting one other thing, Ms. Orimura," Cecilia responded, getting a slightly confused look from her, "There's also the question of whether we tell the others about any of this or not." They all fell into an uncomfortable silence after that. Both options carried risks, and neither of them felt right enough to pick. Should they tell the others that what they are truly fighting, or not?

* * *

"They've been gone a while," Rin said, sounding a little worried. They had decided to move over to the common room to wait for their friends. However, the wait was starting to eat away at the less patient among them. Rin was fidgeting and looking at the elevators every other second, while Tatenashi was toying with her fan absently and looking rather annoyed at something. She was probably still brooding over the fact that she had been unable to beat down the knight IS. The others were a little better off, although Houki looked like she was eager to get out there and try and take this enemy single-handed. After Cecilia and Simon had left, the others told her about the battle to get Simon back, and how Maylin had died. At first, she felt guilty that she hadn't been there, but those feelings were soon replaced with anger as she thought about how many times these things had made attempts on the lives of most of her friends. _If they had their way, most of us would be dead now_ she thought, her hands starting to tremble at the notion. Before she could even consider giving into the thought of acting, Ichika placed a hand on hers and broke her from the thoughts. Looking up at him, she saw a look of comfort. He was struggling with the same things, but he wasn't about to give in to his impulses or let her do the same.

"Okay, we need a change of scenery," Charlotte said, finally getting fed-up with the tension in the room, "We should all go out and do something to relax. If they need us, they will call." "Are you crazy?" Rin asked, sounding stunned, "You remember the last time we left those two alone? What if-" "They're with Ms. Orimura. After what just happened, she's not likely to allow them to do _anything_ questionable. Am I right, Ichika?" Charlotte asked, looking at the bluenette. "Yeah, that sounds like something Chifuyu would do," he agreed, "And besides, Charls is right. Why don't we see if there's something in town we can do?" Looking between his friends, he saw that they were split on the decision. Deciding to take the first step, he stood and took Houki's hand. "Hey, I heard about this great café not too far from here. Why don't we go check it out?" he offered, ignoring the looks he was getting. Houki just blushed and nodded, not trusting her voice right then.

"Well, now that you mention it," Laura said, sounding like her usual confidant self, "There is some business that requires my attention. If you will excuse me." "Would you mind if I tagged along, Laura?" Charlotte asked, receiving a shrug as an answer. After the four of them had left, Kanzashi got up and mumbled something about going to watch an anime before she left, too. That just left Rin and Tatenashi, which was a little awkward for the two. They had never talked much before this, although Rin was knew Tatenashi by reputation. After sitting there for a few minutes, she broke the silence. "You're really worried about him, huh?" Tatenashi asked, smiling playfully. "Why wouldn't I be?" Rin responded, sounding indignant, "That idiot can't go a whole week without getting into some kind of trouble. Someone has to keep an eye on him." "So, are you and he…?" she asked, her smile taking on an evil glint.

"Wh-what? Of course not!" Rin exclaimed while trying not to blush, "I just… he's like a brother to me, okay? I care." "It's alright, Lingyin, I'm just teasing you," Tatenashi soothed, surprising her with the use of her formal name, "To be honest, I'm worried, too. I don't know what was between them, but he and Cecilia had some kind of deeper connection to Maylin." "How can you tell?" "I'm not saying we weren't all hurt when she...," Tatenashi began before trailing off, "But, in hindsight, those two seemed a lot more cut up about it than we were. At least, until he paid Cecilia a visit the other day." "He did what now?" Rin asked, getting a mischievous look on her face. In fact, it was a surprising mirror of the one on Tatenashi's face. The two girls spent the next hour gossiping about whatever came to mind, the bulk of which was the relationship between Cecilia and Simon.

When Simon and Cecilia came back down to the main floor, it was to be greeted with playful looks of suspicion. Glancing at each other, they both realized that they had unknowingly walked right into some kind of trap. "So, how did it go?" Tatenashi asked, smiling and spreading her fan before her face. _Crap, I've seen_ that _look before_ Simon thought as they walked forward. Turning around and trying to run would only give these two exactly what they wanted. Better to try and tough it out, and maybe get some return fire in, too. "It was…illuminating, to say the least," Simon said as he sat down on one of the couches. Cecilia joined him, sitting next to him without thinking about it and causing rather evil looking grins to appear on the faces of the other two girls. "What?" Cecilia asked, although she already had an idea of where this was going.

"Well," Rin said, "Tatenashi was just telling me how you didn't make it back to your room yesterday, Simon." "So?" Rather than answer the question, she responded with one of her own. "Did you two sleep well last night?" The furious blush Cecilia and Simon developed was answer enough. They both tried to splutter out some kind of answer while the other two died from laughter. Outside in the city, Houki and Ichika were enjoying a rather wonderful day; she had started to get over her shyness towards physical contact and was holding his hand. It was a big deal to them both, but they were slowly learning to not wonder if everyone was staring at them for it. Laura and Charlotte were visiting a local weapon store where Laura had ordered a custom combat knife. "Just in case," she had said, although Charlotte didn't know what to think about a combat knife with serrated teeth on one end. Kanzashi had curled up in her room and started up an episode of her one of her favorite anime, a rather touching scene where the heroin starts to fall in love with a commoner.

* * *

Back in Chifuyu's room, they were going over what they had recently learned and trying to figure out what it would mean for the future. "Are you sure it was right decision?" Tabane asked again, still concerned, "If they ever find out that we kept this from them…" "Then we just have to make sure we never tell them," Chifuyu said, trying to sound confidant and in control. In truth, she was starting to feel out of her depth. They were up against an enemy that could think like humans, but wasn't bound by the same physical restraints. They were also not above creating more of their foot soldiers, or trying to produce more specialized units. An enemy with those kinds of capabilities was not something she, or anyone, had ever prepared for. _But we should have_ she told herself again, _it's our_ job _to be prepared. How did this get by?_ And the answer was simple; because someone, somewhere, thought they could keep a leash on this and had failed miserably.

"Whether they like it or not, they've been drawn into this fight," she continued, "If we tell them what they are really fighting against, they may hesitate. And you should know full well what that might cost them." Tabane took the implied rebuke in stride and just continued her work. Her friend was right, of course. These kids were still too young to be able to handle the full implications of combat. The longer they believed they were simply fighting machines, the better they would be. If they found out after the smoke cleared, she would make her apologies then. But until that happened, she was going to do whatever needed doing to protect them. She knew that Chifuyu would do the same. Even though she never openly admitted it, she knew her friend would go to any length to protect her brother and those close to him. She had done it once, and was not afraid to do it again.

 **The choice has been made, and our heroes are starting to recover from their loss. Who will receive the upgrades from the future? What are they truly designed to do? And will the enemy just sit back as they recover their strength? Till the next chapter.**

 **I would say that I'm sorry to all of you that assumed there would be a sex scene, but I was determined to keep that kind of content out of it from the beginning. As far as how things will go with these upgrade modules, you'll just have to wait and see.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19; The Upgrade

A week passed after they had returned from the island, and the Academy had been repaired enough to start having the students return. Although classes weren't going to start again for another few days, the campus grounds were still lively as students and staff returned and took stock of what had been lost. The day before the campus was reopened, those closest to Maylin held a small funeral in a private area of the park on the southern part of the island. It was short and somber, with most of them unable to find any words. Kneeling before the headstone, Simon carefully dug a small hole in the ground before taking a locket out of his pocket. It had been one of her few possessions and it was clearly the most precious. What had been an intricate design had been worn smooth from continuous handling, the picture inside slightly faded from age. Placing it in the hole, he covered it up before saying, "Sleep well, princess."

The next day he was out with Ichika and Laura, giving the reconstruction crews a hand with the repair work. The fact that they had their own IS lent itself to heavy lifting quite nicely. The next few days were spent doing idle work around the grounds and spending time with his friends. Simon had also made it a point to spend more time with Cecilia, since she hadn't let him forget about how cold and distant he had been not too long ago. It was 'interesting' the first day or two and they had to weather some good-natured teasing from their friends about their relationship. But neither of them was ashamed about it anymore, and it wasn't uncommon to see them holding hands or just sitting together.

Then the day came when the Academy officially resumed classes, and the groan could have been heard on the mainland. Despite the circumstances, everyone had grown used to the lack of classes and work, and now it was back. The only real silver lining, at least in Simon's opinion, was that he would have something to keep himself occupied instead of dwelling on what he was being forced to do. He and Cecilia had been agonizing over the fact that they were lieing to their friends. While it wasn't an all-out, bold faced lie, it was still a lie by omission and that was bad enough. But Chifuyu had been clear; they were not to tell anyone else about the true nature of their enemy unless it was absolutely necessary. "And how will we know when it's necessary?" Simon had asked, already trying to work out a loophole. "If it's a life-or-death situation, then you're clear to tell them if it keeps them alive," she had responded. No room for interpretation, no argument, nothing.

After a grueling first day of classes, Simon was stretched out on the roof of the cafeteria, trying to massage his headache away. He had forgotten that there was so much else that they had needed to learn, and now he was paying for it. _If I had known it would be this hard to get back up to speed, I'd have actually studied_ he thought with a groan. "You look like your head is about to explode," he heard. Opening one eye, he saw that Rin had joined him on the roof, and was taking some kind of pleasure in his pain. "Please, for the love of everything good, don't start today, Rin," he begged, closing his eye and going back to massaging his temples. "Did the brave knight have a tough day?" she teased as she walked around him, smiling. "Not nearly as bad as you're going to have in five seconds, pipsqueak," he responded, causing her smile to turn just a little sour. "Why you…"

Down in the courtyard, the students milling around only heard a yell of surprise and an explosion. Anyone that had been around long enough knew that it was one of the shorter tempered students. Anyone that hadn't looked up to see that Rin had summoned her IS and was currently chasing another IS across the sky. "Just hold still and I'll make it painless, Simon! I promise!" she called out as she fired another salvo. "I know what you consider painless, half-pint. No thank you!" Simon responded as he dodged most of them. He didn't dodge the flying kick he took to the back, however. When he hit the ground he slid for a bit before he managed to flip himself over and land on his feet. Rin landed not ten feet from him, looking an interesting combination of amused and pissed-off. Before they could actually start a fight, Chifuyu appeared seemingly out of nowhere and scowled at the two of them. "Would you care to explain yourselves?" she demanded as they destructed their IS and proceeded to look guilty as hell. That particular day ended with them repairing the damage done to the roof, by themselves.

When Simon had finally dragged himself back to his room at around 10 o'clock, he opened the door only to be met with a rather interesting scene. Houki had apparently come by for a visit, and was now lying on top of Ichika. They appeared to have been in the process of Frenching, maybe, when Simon entered the room and caused them to break off and stare at him with a deep blush. "Uh…um," Houki stammered. "Simon, this isn't what it looks like," Ichika said as he got up. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Simon responded with, "I just spent the day fixing a roof, I'm tired, and I would like to sleep without having to listen to _that_ , please." Houki just rushed past him quickly, although she stopped long enough to whisper, "You talk about this, you die," to him. Electing to say nothing, he waited until she had closed the door and he heard the click of the lock.

"You two didn't waste any time," he said as he walked over and flopped down on his bed. "It's not like that!" Ichika protested, sitting up and still blushing rather badly, "We were only talking, and-" "I don't think it's possible to talk clearly with two tongues in your mouth," Simon said, causing the blush to turn darker, "Dare I ask what would have happened if I had arrived latter?" Before Ichika could answer that one, Simon's façade cracked and he burst out laughing. "I don't see what's so funny," Ichika said, mortified, "From what Rin told me, you two already seem to be leaping ahead in your relationship." "Despite what shorty may have told you, we only shared a bed. We didn't actually sleep together, thank you," Simon responded as he got up and began to change. He was damned tired, after all. When he had finished and was about to pass out, a thought occurred to him. "So, what are you two going to do?" he asked, looking at Ichika seriously. "I'm…not really sure, to be honest," Ichika answered, smiling sheepishly, "What about you and Cecilia?" "I think we all know the answer to that one."

* * *

The next day, Simon was cornered on his way out of the dorms by a surprising visitor. "Si-kun, I need you," Tabane said, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the building. "Well, I'm flattered, but I think I'm already spoken for," Simon replied, trying and failing to break her vice-like grip, "Mind telling me what this is about?" This question just met silence as Tabane dragged him across campus, ignoring the looks and whispers they were getting. Even though most people didn't know her by sight, enough knew that word of her presence on the grounds was spreading. That and her mechanical rabbit ears made it rather hard for her to blend into any crowd. After almost detaching his arm, she finally stopped as they entered one of the stadiums. Releasing her grip, she turned around and said simply, "Please summon your IS, Si-kun."

"After you tell me what this is about," he responded, crossing his arms. With a sigh, she pulled a pair of bracelets out of a pocket and put them on. Walking up to him, she touched his watch briefly and forcibly activated his IS. "Wha-? You…how?" Simon stammered as he looked at it, astonished. "I built those cores, remember? You really think I can't control them?" she responded, smiling sweetly before turning around and waving a hand before her. In another flash a small lab setup appeared before her. Sighing, Simon walked over and stood to the side while she prepared some equipment. When she turned back, she had a few tools in one hand and one of the upgrade modules in the other. "You're not about to…?" he began. Before he could continue, she waved a hand and he found that he couldn't move. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle," she said as she walked up to him. "You've been spending too much time with Tatenashi, I think," he observed as she opened the blade port on his right arm, "Care to explain to me why we couldn't do this with the IS deactivated?"

"Because I want to leave as few things up to chance as possible," she responded as she fiddled with some of the wiring to make room. "I didn't think you were that superstitious." "I'm not, but I realize that you can't always account for everything. Seriously, what part of 'genius' don't you understand?" she asked, sounding a little offended. "Maybe it's the part where you remind me of a kid hyped up on sugar," he answered. Tabane just puffed her cheeks out in annoyance before turning her attention back to attaching the module. After reattaching the cover, she stepped back and waved her hand over his IS again, releasing him. "Now, we're going to see just how well this thing works," she said as she picked up a tablet and typed in a few commands to bring up several targets. "I assume you talked with Chifuyu about this beforehand, right?" Simon asked. "Hm? Oh, yeah, sure I did," she responded without looking up. Before he could press her for details she pressed a button and started the targets moving, and firing.

Reflexes kicked in at that point as he brought his sword out and launched four fangs. Taking off, he quickly lashed out with his fangs and cleared four targets at once. Moving methodically, he cleared the rest of them without taking too many hits before landing before Tabane and looking rather pleased with himself. "Average," she said as she examined the results. "What the hell kind of standards are you grading me by?" Simon asked, shocked. Damn it, he had cleared those faster than he usually cleared targets in training, and it was _average_? "Maybe target practice isn't enough," Tabane mused, ignoring the boy. "Okay," he said after he calmed down, "So, what do I actually need to do to trigger this thing?" "Maybe you need to be in a real battle, against another person," she said before her face lit up, "I have the perfect person in mind. Stay right here." Before he could dispute the point, she waved her hand again and froze his controls as she left the stadium to go find her 'recruit.'

While he waited, Simon triggered a self-diagnostic to see for himself just what this thing was doing. It was supposed to be an immediate upgrade, or at least that was the impression he got when Tabane had explained it. Instead, it was just sitting in his arm, not doing a damned thing. Well, that wasn't exactly true; it was consuming a small amount of power, and he could tell that it was observing and recording every bite of data that ran through his IS' systems. As for what it was doing with them, it was anyone's guess. _A forced upgrade to 4_ _th_ _gen specs, that's going to be interesting to see_ he thought with amusement as he continued to wait. After a few minutes, before he could really start to get stiff from the forced lack of movement, Tabane returned with not one person, but four. Rin, Cecilia, Houki and Ichika trailed after the woman and looked a little surprised to see Simon standing where he was.

"Was it really necessary to bring all of them?" he asked. "Well, I had hoped to only bring Ho-Chan, but they were with her. Besides, what can I say? I'm a big softy," she said, smiling as she released him from the forced lock. Sighing in relief, he proceeded to stretch some of the kinks out and heard a few joints pop. "So, what's the plan here? Am I supposed to arm wrestle one of them?" Simon asked, all sarcasm. "No, just fight," Tabane answered, deadpan. Waving her hand over the four of them, she triggered Rin's and Houki's IS. "Wait, two on one?" he asked as the two girls tried to get over the forced activation of their IS. She just nodded, causing the blonde to sigh as he took his sword off his back. "Well, I never got a chance to spar with either of you," he said. "Are you sure this is okay?" Houki asked.

Before anyone could answer, Rin brought out her swords and charged Simon, yelling, "This is for the other day, idiot!" She slammed straight into his shield and caused them to slide a few meters before he stopped them. "Sorry, half-pint, but you need to try harder than that," he said, grinning. With a grunt, he threw her aside before he charged, bringing his sword down towards her. Before it hit, however, Houki blocked it with one of her own while she swiped at his side with her other. Taking flight, Simon backed away from the blade and brought his shield up just as Rin opened fire. As the two girls came at him again, he launched his four primary fangs and targeted them on Rin while he focused on Houki. With the blades taking her attention completely, Rin was out for a little while, although Simon was using them as a distraction and not a weapon. Blocking a strike from one sword with the shield, he deflected the other with his own sword as they continued to circle each other.

And then Houki decided to go all in. As her blades began to glow, Simon gulped as he realized what she was planning. His reflexes, however, weren't fast enough. The single energy attack was easy enough to avoid, but the scatter blast wasn't and he caught a few shots in the side. Glancing at his shields to see that they were still in a good range, he unfolded his wings and triggered an Ignition Burst and was immediately in Houki's face. Bringing his sword up in a slash, he almost managed to do damage, that is until Houki reacted and brought one of her swords down and blocked his slash with the hilt. Breaking away from her, he brought his left foot up with the blade deployed for another slash. This one hit, although the second he completed his own attack a pair of shots from Rin hit him in the back and sent him towards the stadium wall.

Flipping around, he landed on the wall with his feet and bent his knees to absorb the impact. Before he launched himself off the wall, Simon launched his remaining fangs. Rather than as a distraction, they were now going for damage, and Houki and Rin realized this too late to dodge the first few bits. Houki launched her own pair of bits, but they weren't enough to keep up with Simon's hailstorm of attacks. And before they knew it, he was back among them. With a kick he sent Houki flying in one direction before he turned to Rin and fired a pair of canisters into her face. She was prepared for the smoke, however, and fired at where Simon had been when he launched it. The nature of her Shock cannons made it easy for her to dissipate the cloud, however her shots didn't hit what she had hoped. Giving her a moment to try and figure out where he was, Simon cut his flight system and landed a kick on her right wing from above. The full weight of his IS, and him, sent her falling towards the ground. Turning and focusing on Houki, he saw that she had managed to destroy two fangs.

Recalling the remaining ones, he prepared to take her on when an alert popped up on his screen. The others watched in astonishment as Simon's IS began to glow, softly at first but quickly working its way towards blinding. The legs of the IS shifted and became much slimmer, the blade ports on the sides becoming more compact. The wings had their feathers multiply and a pair of small cannon barrels appeared that floated independent of them. The main body of the IS shifted and became more streamlined and lighter, the crystal on the chest changing into more of a V shape. Its arms had the most dramatic change; the shield on his left disappeared altogether, while the blade ports becoming squarer in shape with a disk mounted in the center. The fingers also grew blockier, while the palms grew in size. Finally, his helmet shifted so it was lighter and more streamlined as well, with the neural plug realigning with the port.

Altogether, it was an impressive change, and Simon watched in awe for all of three seconds before the shit hit the fan. One moment, he was watching his IS shift and thinking _this is so freaking cool_ , and the next a searing pain lanced through his skull and knocked him out cold. There wasn't even time to cry out in pain; he was conscious one second and completely out the next.

* * *

Looking around in utter surprise, Simon tried to figure out where he was. It was a beach somewhere, with the sun setting over the water in the distance. Turning away from it, he only saw cliffs stretching up to the sky. Taking a deep breath to stop the panic that was starting to rise, he went over what he remembered. He had been in Stadium 2 at the Academy, conducting a test when the module activated. His IS had undergone its shift before something happened and he was knocked out. He noted that his IS had seemingly destructed, leaving him standing on the beach in his pilot suit. Remembering the pain, he quickly felt around at the base of his neck and checked that the plug was intact. _Must have been some kind of feed-back from the shift_ he thought as he verified that it was at least in one piece and not bleeding.

'It's about time you showed up,' he heard from somewhere. Actually, it was more accurate to say he heard it from _everywhere_. He couldn't even tell if it was in his head or actual words. Sensing some kind of presence behind him, he turned around and took a step back in shock. The figure standing before him in the surf was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. It was human in shape, as tall as him, made from what looked like pure light and had a pair of wings folded behind it. Despite what it was made from, he didn't feel like his eyes were going to burn up when looking at it. _Must be some kind of weird dream_ he thought as he looked around to see if there were more. 'No, this is no dream. At least, not in the conventional sense,' the being responded, taking a step forward. "H-how could you know that?" Simon asked, taking another step back. For whatever reason, there was something about this being that unsettled him. 'I know because I am already in your head,' it told him as it approached, 'I have been for a while now.'

Turning around, Simon looked to see if there was any way up the cliff. Instead, the being appeared before him and took another step forward. 'Running won't help you. I'm already inside you.' Next, he tried to summon his IS, but again achieved nothing. 'You're IS won't save you know. In fact, it is because of it that you are mine,' it said, laughing. For some reason, that laughter sounded familiar. However, when he tried to remember a sharp pain lanced through his head and stopped him. 'Come now, we can't have any of that, now can we?' it said as it got closer. "Wh-who are you?" Simon demanded. For whatever reason the closer it got to him, the harder it was to stand. 'I am your reckoning, Simon Felix. And I will not be denied,' it said as it reached forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. The moment it made contact more lances of pain shot through his head like tendrils. He cried out in pain, but the being just responded by laying its other hand on him, holding him upright as his legs collapsed. The pain racked his body, and he could feel himself falling into some kind of black void. 'You belong to me now, Felix. To _me_.'

* * *

After his shift had completed, Simon lost consciousness and plummeted to the ground, his new IS destructing in a flash of light. Thinking quickly, Houki blasted forward and caught him before he could hit the ground. The others quickly rushed over as she landed and set him down. The look on his face was pained and he had a fine coating of sweat on his skin. His breaths were also somewhat labored, and when Cecilia touched him he felt like he was burning up. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, on the verge of hysterics, "What happened?" Tabane had immediately called for paramedics the moment Simon went unconscious, and she now stood before the boy, feeling incredibly guilty. _Is this my fault_ she wondered, _did I not check the module thoroughly enough?_ Rin was standing there and trembling slightly. Finally, she couldn't hold her peace any longer.

"What the hell is wrong with you, idiot?!" she demanded, kneeling down and shaking Simon, "How many times are you going to keep doing this? How much more do we have to suffer?" Cecilia, meanwhile, was almost on the verge of tears. She couldn't believe something like this would happen, not now. "It's not fair," she mumbled as she squeezed his hand. She had finally gotten him back, they had admitted their feelings. They had even started talking about going on actual dates once classes calmed down. And now this happens. And as far as the others around her were concerned, she was right; it wasn't fair. They had already lost a friend, come close to death at least once, probably twice, and now another one of their friends was hurt. And from the looks of things, it was serious pain.

The paramedic team arrived in less than two minutes and quickly examined Simon. "What's wrong with him?" Cecilia asked as they transferred him to a stretcher. "Not sure," one of them answered, "It's not a concussion and there are no obvious signs of serious trauma. It looks like he just fainted." Without another word they picked the stretcher up and carried him off to the medical center. For the moment, Cecilia was clinging to anger as a support, although her grip on it was threatening to fail at any second. Instead of following, Cecilia walked up to Tabane and asked, "What did you do?" "I was just conducting an experiment," she responded, looking down, "We were trying to figure out how the upgrade module worked." "You didn't test it first? Check for viruses or traps?" Cecilia demanded. "I ran complete scans on every part of that module," Tabane answered, finally meeting Cecilia's gaze, "Everything from the programming to the hardware to the case. Chifu-ni told me to make absolutely sure that nothing was a threat. And I did."

"Then why is Simon… why is he hurt?" she asked, her voice finally cracking. Rather than answer, Tabane just looked away. She didn't have an answer, and she wasn't about to venture a guess until she examined his IS. Instead of letting her continue to badger Tabane, Rin walked up and took her arm. "Come on, Cecilia, let's go," she said as she led her away. Hanging her head, Cecilia just nodded as she struggled to control the tears. Houki left with Ichika a moment later, leaving Tabane to stare at her computers. _There has to be a reason for this_ she thought as she brought up what she had recorded. She couldn't stand the thought that she had caused that boy more pain, not after everything he had gone through already. Switching one of the screens over to a different setting, she placed a call to Chifuyu. "Oh, hello Tabane, how goes the test?" she asked after the call connected. "Not good, Chifuyu," Tabane answered, getting her attention with the use of her full name, "Not good at all."

At the medical center, Simon was laying on one of the cots in the intense care unit while they examined him. Cecilia and Rin were seated in one of the waiting rooms, anxious to hear anything about their friend's condition. A few minutes later, Houki, Ichika, Laura and Charlotte joined them. About ten seconds behind them were Tatenashi and Kanzashi. "Is Simon alright?" Tatenashi asked, her sister still a little uncomfortable with people. "We're not sure," Rin said, "All they told us was that they were examining him." They waited in silence for what felt like forever before one of the doctors came out to see them. "I take it you're all his friends?" she asked, smiling and trying to lighten the mood. "What's his condition?" Cecilia asked as she stood up, her hands clenched in worry. "As far as we can tell, he's only unconscious. There wasn't any major internal damage, and his neural implant didn't show any signs of damage, either. There was however, something troubling."

Stopping to clear her throat, the doctor continued, "We were told that he was undergoing a shift in his IS when it occurred?" Cecilia nodded, already dreading where this might be going. "Well, this is only a hypothesis, but it's possible that the shift in the IS caused feedback through his neural lace. We won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up." "Can we see him?" Ichika asked, receiving a nod. Cecilia and Rin were the first through the door into his room. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully now, and the look of pain was gone. Walking over to his side, Cecilia took his hand and tried to fight down the tears that were returning. "Please be okay, Simon," she begged. As if hearing her, he opened his eyes and looked over at her. They all looked overjoyed to see that he was okay, although Simon looked confused. "Hey there, can I help you with something?" he asked, looking at her. "It's okay, Simon," she answered, the tears finally starting to come to her eyes, "You just need to get better." "I'm sorry," he said as he sat up and pulled his hand from hers, "Do I know you?"

 **The first upgrade has been tested, and the priced has been proven incredibly high. Or is it? What was the being Simon met? Why did the upgrade react to him like it did? And what the hell happened to his memory? Till next chapter.**

 **Da da daa, plot twist! While this chapter makes me feel like a total ass, it is necessary as far as resolving the final confrontation. Will he ever recover his memory, or is Simon doomed to forget his friends and his love forever?**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20; Loss

They all just stood there, too stunned to say anything as Simon looked at Cecilia in utter confusion. "Nice try," she said finally, "Like you'd ever get me to believe such an obvious lie." "I'm not lieing, I really don't recognize you," he said, straight faced, "Actually, I don't think I know any of you. Where am I, anyway?" "You can't be serious," Rin said, her voice starting to tremble in anger, "You mean to tell me that you've _completely_ forgotten all about us?" When he nodded, her temper peaked for a second before she saw Cecilia's response. Without giving him any warning, she leaned in and kissed him briefly. "Please tell me you remember that," she said as she leaned away. Simon looked a little stunned and was blushing slightly. "I-uh…I'm sorry, but no," he said. At that point, Ichika and Houki had to physically restrain Rin so she didn't strangle the boy.

After they had calmed Rin somewhat, they left the room. Well, most of them. Ichika stayed behind and sat next to Simon's bed. "So, you have no memory of any of us?" he asked, just to be clear, "You can't recall anything from these past few months?" "I get…flashes. But, some of the memories are painful," Simon said, grateful the firecracker of a girl had been removed from the room, "I do remember you, I think. We rode a train together, didn't we?" "The train to the IS Academy on our first day," Ichika told him, feeling a bit better. If he could remember that, than there might be hope yet. "Yeah, I remember something like that. I was being sent to the Academy for IS training," Simon said, his face starting to light up a little, "We were on the train, talking about…something…" "Anything after that?" Simon just shook his head and looked depressed. "That girl, the blonde one. Were we…?" he asked, feeling the blush returning. "Yeah, you were. Are, I mean, you are," Ichika said, correcting himself quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired," Simon told him, stifling a yawn. Taking the hint, Ichika left him to rest. Maybe he would regain the memories after he recovered some more.

After he fell asleep, Simon found himself in a strange place. He was standing on a beach stretching into the distance on both sides. In front of him was a massive cliff, and when he turned around there was water gently lapping on the shore with the sun setting in the distance. It was all strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember why. 'You survived. Good,' he heard. Turning back to the cliff, he saw a figure made from light sitting on a boulder he hadn't noticed earlier. 'Now it's time to get to work.' "Work? What kind of work?" he asked, taking a step back as the being approached him. 'Do not be afraid, Simon. I am here to help you,' it soothed as it approached him, 'You've lost your memory, correct?' When he nodded, the being continued, 'Those that you've met are responsible for this. They forced something on you, something that you did not want. In return, they took your memories.' When it was close enough to touch him, he felt a strange sense of calm. 'I am here to help you. I will help restore that which they stole.'

When it touched his shoulder, Simon felt like a curtain had been raised in his mind. Suddenly images were flashing back to him; the blonde girl, the other boy, a battle between the three of them, the short girl with the twin tails attacking him. The images started to come faster, and he couldn't hold onto them all. With a gasp, he lurched away from the being and grabbed his head. 'That's what I was worried about,' it said, sounding concerned, 'They burned a lot of your memories out when they did _that_.' "What? What did they do to me?" Simon asked, trying to hide the pain. Taking his head in its hands, he felt the pain subsiding as it cupped his head in its hands and brought his face up. He could almost see a pair of eyes in that light looking at him in concern. 'They forced the IS on you, made you into a pilot, without realizing what it could do to you,' it told him. For whatever reason, the tone of its voice reminded him of a mother with a hurt child. "W-who are you?" he asked, in awe of this being. 'I am the AI which dwells inside of your IS' core. And I am here to help you.'

* * *

"Tabane, what the _hell_ happened out there?" Chifuyu demanded, looking about ready to rip someone's head off, "How could something like this even _happen_? I thought you said the modules were safe!" Cringing slightly at the other woman's anger, she turned her computer around so Chifuyu could see the screen. "I did, Chifu-ni, I swear. Every test came back A-Okay," she said, "I have absolutely no idea how an IS shift could wipe someone's memory like that." "Then start guessing," Chifuyu replied abruptly, sitting down opposite her friend and glaring at her. She wasn't mad with Tabane, to be honest; the girl just had the misfortune of being the closest target to vent at. In truth, Chifuyu felt the same as Tabane about this incident; responsible for it. She had given her the okay to test the module after Tabane had told her it was safe. And now Simon was lying on a cot in the medical center with the last few months of his memories gone. _God only knows what this is doing to his friends_ she thought, her scowl deepening at the notion. They had been through too much too soon to deserve something like this.

"Well, my best guess is that it had something to do with his neural lace," Tabane said as she turned the screen back around, "It's possible that there was some kind of feed-back through it during the shift." "How is that even possible? I thought the IS shifts affected the machine, not the pilot." "Normally, yes. But normally the pilots aren't physically plugged into them," Tabane explained, "It's possible that when his IS went through its shift that it read Simon as an actual _part_ of the machine. It would have then proceeded to try and upgrade him, as well." "Oh God…" Chifuyu said as the full implications of that sunk in. They may have just allowed his machine to cause irreversible damage to his brain and nervous system. "Is there any way we can reverse it?" she asked, "Recover what he lost?" "I…can't say, Chifu-ni," Tabane replied, hanging her head, "It's entirely possible that they are…gone." She had never felt this defeated before, _ever_. Not when her first attempt at making a core resulted in an explosion, not when her sister had started to grow distant, not even when Maylin had arrived and torpedoed a good portion of her well-laid plans. But, for whatever reason, this hit her on a primal level; she had given something the green light, and it had just done more damage to that boy than all of his previous battles combined.

"Okay," Chifuyu said, determined to at least _appear_ to be in control, "I want you to go over everything you recorded again, as well as the logs from his IS. Check the other module again, completely." Tabane just nodded, since she was already doing what Chifuyu had asked. _There has to be an explanation for this_ she thought as she went over the records. She knew the programming of her cores inside and out; every variant, every possible outcome (well, almost every variant, though why two boys could use them was still something she had yet to figure out). She had also gone over the schematics of Simon's original IS several times, so she was aware of virtually every aspect of its design. She had moved the new one to a private bay and was subjecting it to every diagnostic method she could come up with, most of them standard, but a few she had designed herself. They would find something to help solve this problem. They had to.

* * *

Wandering around the Academy grounds, Rin wondered where the heck Cecilia had gone off to. She had excused herself with some half-assed reason before just walking off by herself, looking absolutely awful. Of course, there was nothing anyone could say or do to help her feel better about this situation, and privately Rin was cursing anything and everything she could think of that had led to this. _The hell was that idiot thinking, agreeing to that test?_ Rin wondered again as she walked towards the park. It was around 3 o'clock, so most people would be in their afternoon classes. As such, the park was fairly deserted. Looking around the park, she spotted a patch of yellow on the far end of the park. Making a beeline for it, she came across Cecilia sitting on one of the benches, clutching herself with her head down. She could tell that Cecilia was struggling not to cry, which only served to make Rin feel worse.

"You okay, Cecilia?" she asked as she came up behind her friend. Cecilia just sat there in silence for a while, not looking up as Rin circled the bench and sat next to her. They just sat there in silence for a while, and Rin started to wonder if Cecilia would speak at all. If she chose to remain silent, Rin would understand. The girl had endured more in a few weeks than anyone should ever go through in their entire life. "It's not fair," she said finally, looking at the Chinese girl. The hurt in her eyes was almost enough to bring Rin to tears herself as she continued. "Why?" she asked, "Every time we actually start to connect, something happens. Why us? What did he do to deserve this? What did _I_ do to deserve this?" "I don't know Cecilia," Rin told her, "But I don't think you deserve it. Neither does he."

"So, are you just fed up with him?" Rin asked her finally. "I-I'm not sure I know…" "Come on, Cecilia, it's not that hard!" Rin said, deciding on a good use for her own frustration, "After everything he's put you through, why don't you just dump his sorry ass? I know that I would." "I…" she began. It was an interesting question, especially coming from Rin. She had always been a kind of sister to Simon. He had even told her as much, but for her to suggest that she… "I can't, Rin," she said finally, feeling something inside her cry out against it, "When I said that I love him, I meant it. I can't just walk away from it now." "So, what are you going to do, then?" Rin demanded as she got up and faced Cecilia, glad that she had finally gotten through to her. Looking back at her friend in determination, she responded, "I won't give up, that's what."

Smiling at her in triumph, Rin thought, _these two are so transparent_. The two girls left the park feeling better than they had all day. Cecilia had already decided on her own course of action, and Rin was determined to back her no matter what. After all, her pseudo-brother may be an idiot at times, but there's no way a simple memory wipe was going to erase what was between them. She was sure of that.

* * *

Simon spent the next day under observation, since the doctors wanted to see if it was just temporary memory loss due to shock. All the while, the AI worked to restore his memory, or at least parts of it. At its advice, he didn't reveal that he was remembering certain events, since according to it everyone at this Academy was involved in this to one degree or another. 'Best if you trust no one,' it had told him. The AI had slowly been piecing fragments of his memories together in an effort to further alienate him from the students and staff, and it was working flawlessly. The following evening he was released and returned to the room he shared with Ichika, skeptical of everything and everyone he came across. When he finally got there, Ichika was sitting on his bed and reading through some of his homework from the day.

"Hey, Simon," he said, "Feeling any better?" "Yeah, sure," was all he got for a reply. After all, according to the AI, this boy was only there to keep an eye on him. They weren't friends. The next few days were tense, to say the least. The AI had elected to restore his memories regarding his technical knowledge, so catching up with his homework wasn't too hard. While he questioned why it was even necessary to do it, it was best to keep up appearances. Through it all, he drifted away from his friends, believing them to be the cause of his memory loss. Even though Cecilia still tried to maintain some kind of relationship with the boy, he would always find some kind of half-assed excuse to get away. _Why is that girl trying so damned hard_ he wondered. If they were only here to conduct tests, then why the hell does she appear to care so much about me? 'It's all an act, Simon. Pay it no mind,' the AI said. It was becoming more talkative as the days past and had reached the point where they could discuss things without him having to be asleep.

And then one day, Simon just up and disappeared. When he wasn't in class, everyone just thought that he was still recovering and had decided to sleep in. However, when Ichika went to check the room, it was empty. A search of the campus, done by his friends discreetly, revealed that he had taken the train back to the mainland earlier that morning. "What the hell does that boy think he's doing?" Chifuyu asked after she found out. Cecilia, Rin and Ichika had been called to her office, while Tabane had already been there. They all looked worried about what might be happening. What troubled Tabane the most was what she had discovered, and his actions over the past few days. "Well, Chifu-ni, I think I might know why," she said, stepping forward.

At a gesture from her, Tabane continued, "I ran a complete check on all of the systems in Simon's IS, and I found an anomaly with the core housing. There was a small memory card installed in it, containing an execution file and enough storage for a fairly sophisticated program." "What does that even mean?" Rin asked, her frustration evident. She didn't have the patience for this, not now, Damnit. "It means that those IS placed a trap inside his IS core, designed to activate under certain conditions," Tabane responded, "Like…an IS shift." They all let that sink in a moment before Chifuyu leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "So, the short version is they laid a trap and we walked right into it," she surmised as she tried _very hard_ not to explode in outrage. _How many times are these_ things _going to keep playing us_ she thought as she got herself back under control.

"Any idea what was supposed to be activated?" "Well, I can't be completely sure, since part of the execution file was a command to delete the original code," she said, "But, I can guess what it was based off the records in his IS." "Please, tell me," Cecilia begged, taking one of Tabane's hands, "What is happening to my Simon? What did they do?" For a brief moment, Tabane considered not telling her. After all, this would only add to her worries. However, after looking at how hurt the girl was, she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I don't know _exactly_ what kind of program it was," she said, "I only know that it was rather large and that it uploaded itself to the 'host memory.'" It took them a few seconds to try and figure out what that meant. Finally, it was Ichika, of all people, who figured it out first. "You mean it uploaded itself into Simon's head?" he asked, causing the two girls to gasp. It didn't help matters when Tabane nodded.

"Well, that would explain the memory loss," Chifuyu said as the others tried to come to grips with what they had just learned. "How in the hell are we supposed to fight something like that?!" Rin asked, part outrage and part shock. "If you can get him back here, I may be able to remove the program," Tabane told them, trying to give them some kind of hope. "And his memories?" Cecilia asked, "Will that restore them?" "Possibly, but…" She didn't even need to finish, they could all fill in the rest there. It was entirely possible that the memories were gone for good. God only knows what that program was doing to the boy's mind. "Where is he, Tabane? You can find him, I take it," Chifuyu asked, sensing the impatience to do something from the kids. "Yes, I can," she replied, "And you wouldn't believe where he went."

* * *

Standing on the beach, Simon tried to recall what he could of the last time he had spent here. This was where his class had gone on a short, school-funded vacation. He remembered being rather happy about it, to be getting away from classes for a while. At least, he was back then, when he hadn't known what they were doing to him. 'There's no need to dwell on it, Simon,' the AI told him, 'You see the truth of it now.' "So, when is this 'friend' of yours going to arrive?" he asked aloud. Normally, he wouldn't have thought to actually speaking with it, but there was no one else on this stretch of the beach. 'Soon. She knows where we are. There's no need to worry.' Sighing, Simon sat down and waited while wondering just what kind of friend this person was. She knew the AI in his core, although how they had met was beyond him. _Probably something else I lost when they took my memories_ he reasoned with a scowl.

After half an hour of looking out over the water, he heard several people landing behind him. _Didn't even hear the IS arrive_ he thought as he got up and turned around. Instead of the friend that the AI had described, he saw that it was several of the people that claimed to be his friends; Cecilia, Rin, Ichika and Houki to be specific. "Simon, what are you doing out here?" Cecilia asked as she approached him. "Come any closer, and we'll both regret it," Simon said in a steel tone. It was enough to bring her up short, to bring everyone up short. "What's gotten into you, idiot?" Rin demanded. _This can't be the same boy._ "What's gotten into me?" he mocked, "I've finally seen the truth. You clearly didn't plan on my core interfering, but it showed me just how much you've been lieing to me all this time." "That's what it told you? Seriously?" she asked, astonished, "That _thing_ isn't from your IS core. It was planted by that bitch of a machine that got Maylin killed. It's _using you_." "You'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you?"

As they continued to argue, Cecilia realized something. Whatever that program had done, it had succeeded in poisoning Simon against them completely. Whether it was just manipulating his memories or creating false ones, it had convinced him they were enemies. Trying to argue with reason wouldn't work, not now. _It's time to try something more powerful_ she thought as she took another step forward. Without warning, Simon summoned his own IS. "I'm telling you now, stay back." "Simon, do you remember when you came to see me after Maylin died?" she asked, ignoring the threat, "Do you remember the promise you made me?" 'Ignore the girl, Simon,' the AI told him, 'She's just trying to mess with your mind.' And yet, despite the warning, Simon tried to figure out just what she meant. _What promise could I have possibly made to her_? Before he could even try and remember, a familiar voice interrupted.

"I figured someone would follow him. I didn't plan on four of you." Looking up, they saw the Fairy had arrived. And just like that, it all clicked for Cecilia. That machine, more than the others, had shown it was capable of under-handed tricks and mind games. Of course it would be responsible for this. "I'm sorry, humans, but that boy belongs with us now," it said as it landed between them. For whatever reason, the Fairy had elected to bring only one javelin with it, probably out of arrogance. Turning to Simon, it extended its free hand and said, "It's time to go, Simon." Without even thinking, he reached forward to take its hand. And why not? This was the person that his AI trusted, someone that would be able to restore his memories. Before he could, however, Rin smashed into the Fairy's back and sent it across the beach. "If you think I'm letting you do that again, bitch, think again!" she said as she summoned one of her swords and charged it again. Ichika and Houki moved to back her up, but Simon was immediately in their way. The disks on his arms began to spin as he said, "I will only tell you this once; back away."

Before they could answer his challenge, Cecilia stepped in front of them. "You two go help Rin," she said, "I will take care of this." "Cecilia, you sure?" Houki asked. "He hasn't answered my question yet." Taking the hint, Houki and Ichika took off and went to help Rin. Even with only one of its main weapons, the laser bits made the Fairy a formidable opponent. Locking eyes with the boy, Cecilia brought her rifle up before her. While not aiming directly at Simon, it was close enough to be a clear warning. "Simon, please don't make me do this," she begged, hoping to get through to him. In response, Simon took up his fighting stance, his gaze unwavering. "You brought this upon yourself, woman," he told her before he charged. Before he had moved more than a foot, Cecilia had brought her rifle up and shot him straight in the chest, knocking him off balance. Dodging to the right, she lined up another shot as he brought his left arm up to block the blast. Right before she pulled the trigger, an energy field deployed from his former blade port on that arm, blocking the shot completely. When Cecilia got a clear look at the field, she saw that it was crackling with energy.

She didn't have much time to admire it before Simon came at her again, his right hand crackling with energy now. Launching a pair of laser bits to buy time, she took flight as he was forced to deal with the bits. He had deployed two energy fields now, one on each wrist. They were also effortlessly deflecting the shots. Taking flight himself, Simon began to gather power in his right hand while he continued to dodge Cecilia's bits. Meanwhile, Cecilia herself was still trying to get through to the boy. "You still haven't given me your answer, Simon!" she said, "What was it that you promised me?" "Why the hell does it even matter?" he shot back, "All you people have been doing is lieing and using me. Why should I give a damn about any promises I made to you?" "Is that what you think? That everything we said and did was a lie?" As an answer, he lifted his hand and discharged the energy. They were both expecting an energy bolt, but what they got was a lightning bolt that crossed the gap faster than Cecilia could react. It hit her full in the chest and dropped her shields by 25%, and it also hurt like hell.

Ignoring the pain, she lined up her sights and started to return fire while launching her other two laser bits. Finally getting fed up with the excessive dodging, Simon unfolded his wings and loosed his own fangs. What was surprising about this was that the amount of fangs stored in his wings had doubled; the sky was now filled with a dozen plasma-wielding bits. Charging up another pair of bolts, he prepared to take this annoying girl out, once and for all. And yet, despite what the AI was advising he was trying to figure out just what the hell she was talking about. For reasons he couldn't explain, her mention of a promise was unsettling to him on a deep level. 'I said to ignore her, Felix,' the AI said, 'She's lying.' _But how do I know that? Why can't I remember?_ Firing off the electricity in his hands, he hit two of her bits dead on, turning them into puffs of smoke. Triggering an Ignition burst, he rocketed through the smoke cloud and collided with Cecilia. Taking a firm grip with his left hand, he spun up the disk on that arm and discharged the electricity into her suit.

Thankfully, her shields dispelled most of the incoming attack, but her arm was starting to grow numb. Her shields were also dropping at a rapid rate. Rather than trying to break the grip, she swung herself around so that Simon's back was to the ground. She then accelerated straight down while taking a firm grip on his IS. When they impacted, she was shaken free and landed a few feet away with her rifle up and her remaining bits aimed at the crater. Simon's own bits formed a lethal wall of plasma around him as he tried to pick himself back up. However, he was becoming increasingly distracted, and Cecilia could plainly see it. "I know you, Simon," she said, giving it one last shot, "I know who you are, how you act. This isn't you. Please, come back to us, come back to me. I love you." Those last words, more than anything, struck a chord deep in him, and Simon found himself turning inward to that imaginary world where he talked with the AI. "What does she mean?" he asked it, feeling the familiar pain again. Any time he tried to remember something new on his own, it resulted in near skull-splitting pain.

'She's lying, you fool. Stop believing her,' it told him, sounding like it was losing patience. "Why don't I remember making her a promise?" he continued, ignoring the command, "She just said 'I love you.' Why would she lie about that?" Stalking forward, the AI took a firm grip on his shoulders. 'Listen to me; she is an enemy. They are all _enemies_. They took your memories from you and chained you down. _Do not trust them_.' "Simon, please!" Looking up at the pain in the voice, he returned to the real world to see that he had collapsed to his knees and was clutching his head. Also that Cecilia was looking at him in concern, and now what he recognized as love. _Who do I trust?_

 **The enemies' hand has been shown as they make a play to secure Simon, again. Will Cecilia reach him in time, or will he turn on them? What will become of the other upgrade module? And will I ever stop toying with you guys over this love story? Till the next chapter, and as always, feel free to post a review.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21; The Gathering Storm

Houki was in a bad way, and she knew it. Rin and Ichika were worse off, considering that Houki's Regeneration ability gave her near infinite energy. Normally, she would try and use it to support them, but the bitch of a machine they were battling wasn't about to give them an opening for that. Even though it only had one javelin, it was using all manner of maneuvers to keep them off-balance. Its laser bits didn't help matters. Any time one of them tried to focus on taking them out, the Fairy would appear behind them and land an attack of its own. As a result, both Ichika and Rin were down below 50% on their shields. If it came down to it, Houki was confident she could go toe-to-toe with it alone, but she didn't know how long her stamina would hold out against a machine determined to kill her. _Come on, Cecilia; hurry up_ she thought as she charged the Fairy again.

"Simon!" Cecilia called out as she saw the pain on his face. He glanced at her briefly, and she could see the internal struggle in his eyes. Whatever that program was doing to him, it was fighting back with everything it had. Steeling herself for the possible pain, she started walking forward. When she got close to the wall of blades, he said, "Please, stop." Ignoring it, she brushed past the blades, mildly surprised that they didn't turn and dice her. Finally kneeling down next to him, she put her arms around him and pulled Simon in, resting her chin on his head. While it was a little awkward with them both in their IS, she wasn't about to care now. "Please," she whispered, "Come back to me."

In the inner space, he was struggling with the AI. 'Kill her, Simon!' it commanded, finally losing all patience with the boy. "Why? What is it that you're so desperate to hide?" he demanded. There was clearly something that it didn't want him to know, memories it was trying to conceal. The fact that it could do that brought into question everything else it had told him. _If it can hide my own memories from me, then maybe it…_ Grabbing him by the throat, the AI picked him up and hurled him against the cliffs. While this wasn't a real place, it felt real enough for the wind to get knocked from him on impact. Lying on the ground he tried to recover, breathing heavily. 'You're such a disappointment,' it said as it stalked forward, 'You had one job, one _simple_ job. But that _girl_ had to show up, and now you've lost all will to fight.' Grabbing him by the collar, it hauled him up so they were face-to-face. 'If you won't finish her, then _I_ will,' it said as it laid a hand on his forehead.

When it did, he could feel himself losing control of everything, his body started to feel cold and distant. _This is what it's like to die_ he thought as he slowly slipped into a pool of oblivion. That is, until he felt something in him cry out against it. With strength he didn't know he possessed, he reached up and pulled its hand from his head before twisting free of its grasp, shouting, "No!" This took the AI by surprise since it hadn't known this boy had this kind of willpower. This temporary shock was enough to shake free some of the memories it had been withholding. Images came back to him; the night at the resort, their time spent together training, when Simon had visited Cecilia after Maylin's death, and the promise he had made. In one brief instant, enough of his old self returned for him to fully realize who his enemy truly was. "It was you," he said, anger beginning to rise, "You did this!"

'Stupid human! You should have just done as you were told!' it shouted as it lunged at him. If it could just make contact again, it could remove those memories again. Starting over from square one wasn't ideal, but there wasn't much choice at this stage. Before it could grab hold, Simon reached up and grabbed it wrists, stopping it cold. "You shouldn't have used this place as our point of meeting," he told it, smiling coldly at the AI, "And you really shouldn't have restored all of my technical knowledge, since I'm pretty sure I've worked out where we are now." Letting go of the things hands, he continued to smile as it stepped away. This was not something it had been programmed to handle, and it was reeling as it tried to stay in control. Looking around the space they were in with his senses clear, Simon could tell there was another presence. Whether it was being blocked out or had been biding its time didn't matter much now, he needed its help. "I know you're there now. Any time you feel like stepping in would be appreciated," he called out.

As if summoned, another being appeared out of thin air next to him. It was a young woman with raven hair down to the middle of her back and wearing light armor. Her eyes were a deep green, like his, and they held a mischievous glint which was also mirrored in her smile. "I was wondering when you would stop playing house with this cheap knock-off," she said, turning to look at the AI. 'Who are you calling a cheap knock-off?' the AI asked, finally recovering from its shock. "Why, you, of course," the woman replied, stepping forward and smiling sweetly at it, "You didn't really think you were keeping me out of my own house, did you?" When she got no reply, she just giggled and shook her head. "Silly little program, you really don't understand the scale of your fuck-up, do you?" In the blink of an eye, the woman was in front of the AI and lifting the avatar by its throat. "You think you could come into _my house_ and take my operator _from me_?" she asked, still sounding sweet but clearly meaning business, "Sweetie, you just crossed the wrong girl."

The AI suddenly screamed in pain, its body starting to radiate energy like it was on fire. The cry turned mechanical after a few seconds, and Simon could tell that this woman, program, whatever, was slowly tearing it apart. "You're nothing but a shadow of me," she continued, taking no notice of the other program's pain, "Like a candle held near the sun. You're _nothing_ , and you will return to it." In one final screech, the AI's avatar flew apart, the shreds quickly dissipating to nothing. Turning back to face Simon, she gestured to the surroundings and changed them. The beach was suddenly gone, as were the cliffs, replaced by a clear ground that mirrored the sky like still water. "That's better," she mused as she walked over to Simon, still smiling like a kid. "You made short work of that thing," Simon commented, standing his ground. This being, unlike the other, felt familiar to him, like a long-lost friend. And of course it would, since it had been with him from the beginning. Stopping before him, she touched his head lightly and Simon felt the final obstacles in his mind clear and the rest of his memories return.

"I never got the chance to tell you this properly," she said, "but I still can't believe you're crazy enough to have a neural plug." "The benefits far outweigh the risks," he responded, smiling back, "And besides, what fun is life without a little risk now and then?" This earned him a laugh out of the girl. What was odd to him was that it was like listening to Cecilia laugh; he could never see himself getting tired of listening to it. "I knew I made the right choice. Alright, Simon, you have a job to do," she told him, stepping away, "Get out there and kick their ass." He just smiled back as the realm around him faded. As he returned to the real world, he noticed that Cecilia was still holding him and had started to cry. Pulling back slightly so he could look at her properly, he said, "I promised you that I wasn't going anywhere. And I'm not." She was stunned for a moment, but she recovered quickly and hugged him closer. "Thank you," she whispered. He just hugged her back for a second before he got back up and docked his fangs. "Now then, let's end this, princess," he said, taking flight.

Rin was down on the beach with Houki while Ichika was locked with the Fairy. Houki was trying to use the distraction to recover the Chinese girl's energy, but they didn't have much time. Throwing Ichika back, the Fairy prepared to shoot the two girls before they could separate. Instead, a lightning bolt came at it from behind and threw its aim off. The Fairy turned around in time to catch an energy bolt to the chest as Cecilia and Simon moved in. "This ends here, Fairy!" Simon shouted as he charged a pair of bolts up. Cecilia stopped and gained altitude while Simon kept going straight in. At the last second, before the Fairy could try and impale him on its javelin, he dodged to the side as Cecilia opened fire, hitting it square in the head. Taking advantage of the opening, Simon fired the charged bolts and sent it towards the ground. Reaching up to grab his sword, he pursued the Fairy as it tried to return fire.

Dodging the shot, Simon brought his sword down only to have the Fairy block it with its own weapon. When they hit the sand, they rolled a ways, each of them trying to gain the upper hand. Finally Simon kicked himself up and away, landing a few feet away from it and bringing his sword up. The Fairy also got back on its feet quickly and was standing there. He could almost imagine it was glaring at him in hatred. "Do you even understand how much planning you just ruined?" it asked him. Smirking, he replied, "Nope, and I don't care." In response, Fairy launched its laser bits and charged him. Jumping back to avoid the initial swipe and shots, he triggered his Phoenix Shift and prepared to take it out. He wasn't prepared for the increase in movement, since it turned his small jump into a leap that sent he meters away. He also briefly noticed that his IS was crackling with electricity, but that wasn't his primary concern.

Triggering another Ignition burst, he slammed into the Fairy before it even knew what was happening, taking it out over the water. Letting go of the IS, Simon quickly moved behind it. It was like he was teleporting with each move; he thought _I need to be there_ and he was suddenly there. Bringing his foot up, he kicked the Fairy away to get some distance. He had noticed earlier that his sword had changed, and now was the time to figure out just how much. Bringing his arm back, he disengaged the locks on the sword and let the new blade fly. It had changed from the usual smooth metal coating into segments about two inches in width. The engine at the hilt which had originally powered the saw blade was now replaced with a spool of strong cable and another dynamo. With the magnetic lock disengaged, the blade turned into an electrified whip with teeth. Combat with a whip wasn't something he was used to, but now wasn't the time to be picky. Treating it more like an extended sword, he made several slashes at the IS, finally succeeding in severing its leg at the knee.

Growling in frustration, it sent its laser bits into his face before self-destructing them, blinding him. Using the distraction, the Fairy quickly retreated, leaving behind a rather pissed-off teen. However, he noted that his Phoenix Shift wasn't about to last long enough in this mode to chase after it. Instead, he disengaged it and sheathed his sword before returning to the beach. The others were there waiting for him, although Cecilia looked a little pissed-off herself. _I am going to have to do some_ serious _apologizing for this one_ he realized as he landed and destructed his IS. "Before any of you ask," he began, "Yes, they are all back. Yes, I'm sorry for what I did. And yes, I won't let it happen again. Anything else?" Walking up so she was in his face, Cecilia put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I only have one thing to say to you, Simon Felix," she said, her tone making Simon gulp, "You ever do something that stupid again, and I will let Rin and Tatenashi do whatever they want to you. Are we clear?"

He just gave her a stiff nod, a little too concerned with the smile that Rin was giving him. _Those two with a free pass? No thank you_ he thought. "Good," she said before stepping forward and kissing him, too relieved to have him back to stay mad. She didn't count on how stunned he was, and as a result he lost his balance and took them both into the surf. The cold water was enough that it shocked the two apart. Sitting there looking at each other, both of them dripping wet, Simon couldn't help but find this unbelievably funny. He started laughing uncontrollably, and Cecilia joined him not too soon after. In fact, the others on the beach were caught up in the relief and were grinning like mad at the two love birds in the water, although Rin was also starting to laugh along with them. Before the next wave could soak them through more, Simon got up and helped Cecilia out of the water, still laughing softly. Rather than stick around and try to dry on the beach, they summoned their IS and returned to the Academy. Cecilia made it a point to stay near Simon and keep an eye on him, trying to convince herself that it was out of concern and not because she was admiring the view.

* * *

After arriving at the Academy, Simon was immediately whisked away by Tabane to perform a full physical evaluation. Despite his protests and assurances that he was fine, she dragged him to a private lab and stripped him to his underwear before attaching all manner of sensors to his chest and head. She had also built her own version of his neural sync collar and had attached it to his neural link to run a test on it as well. After a few minutes of taking all manner of scans and readings, she asked, "So, what was it like?" "It was…I can't say that I enjoyed it," he said after a moment, "But there was a silver lining to it." "Oh? Did our little princess make you a secret promise?" Tabane asked, smiling sweetly. She had heard about his nickname for Cecilia, and had also, to his misfortune, been spending time with Tatenashi lately. The girl was fun to be around, and the two of them got along quite well. "What? Nonono, nothing like that!" he replied, blushing, "What I meant to say was that I finally met my IS' core."

"You did _what_ now?" she asked, moving so they were face-to-face. The look she was giving him was enough to make him regret mentioning anything. "I…uh, met the AI that dwells in my IS' core," he repeated, trying not to sound nervous, "Why? Is that a problem?" Without saying a word, she turned around and waved her hand at an empty table. In a flash of light, the core housing from his IS appeared on the table, as well as a small projector. "How did you-?" "Genius," she replied without turning around. She quickly hooked the core to the projector and turned it on, saying, "I know you can hear me. So, are you the reason this boy can pilot?" For a second, nothing happened. Tabane had even begun to tap her foot, a habit she was picking up from Chifuyu. _This core has always been a pain_ she thought as it remained unresponsive. "Don't make me force an activation," she threatened. And then in a flash, the woman he had met inside the core appeared before them, smiling sweetly at Tabane.

"Now now, there's no need for that, mother dear," she said, giggling softly. "13, I should have known it was you," Tabane said, sounding a little frustrated. This just got her another giggle as the AI turned and looked at Simon. "My, now that's quite a view," she said, causing the blonde to blush slightly. "Oh, shut up," he said. "You didn't answer my question, 13," Tabane said, getting the AI's attention again. "Fine, I'll admit it. I wanted to have some fun, so I may have modified my protocols," she said, "Is that going to be an issue?" "I would have preferred that you cleared it with me first." "But this boy is so much fun!" the AI protested, sounding like a kid.

"So, wait," Simon said, finally realizing something, " _You're_ the reason I can pilot an IS? Not because of my sister?" The AI just nodded, beaming in triumph. "Of course! You really thought that it was just because you were twins?" she asked, "Also, while we're on that topic, I learned something while burning out that little shadow. We're going to have problems soon." "Nice to know someone in this room can focus on the important issues," Chifuyu said, startling Tabane and Simon. They hadn't even realized she had entered the room, let alone was standing behind Tabane and looking rather annoyed with the girl. "Just when did you plan on telling me about this, Tabane?" she asked, glaring at the girl as she backed away, looking like a scolded child. "I was just on my way to tell you, Chifu-ni," she claimed. "Uh huh. So, 13 is it?" Chifuyu asked, stepping forward, "Just what exactly is this 'problem' we're going to have?" "Man, she really has you whipped," 13 noted, making the mistake of ignoring Chifuyu. One of her patented glares was enough to get the program to focus, however, and Simon wasn't surprised to see that his teacher could make programs cower as easily as people.

"I, uh, pulled some data out of the program before I removed it," she reported, dropping the playful attitude, "I also piggybacked on its communications to the other IS. It was…strange, being inside that machine, and it had a lot of countermeasures I wasn't familiar with. But, I got enough to know they have an attack group on the way here." Everyone stopped cold and stared at the AI's avatar. "How big?" Chifuyu asked, hoping it was just going to be another raid. Maybe if it was small enough, they could intercept it at sea and minimize the damage. "At least three ships," 13 reported, "And from the records I was able to copy, most of their forces. Including all of their IS." They were all deathly quiet after that. The last time this group had been here, several people had been hospitalized and a third of the grounds had been wrecked, and that had just been a small raiding party. This sounded like their entire army, and that they meant business. "How long do we have?" Simon asked, feeling a little sick. "Till tomorrow afternoon," 13 reported. _We just can't catch a break_.

* * *

After Simon was released he went over to the cafeteria, since he was starving. Walking out onto the cafeteria roof with his food, Simon was mildly surprised that everyone was sitting in their usual spot, eating and enjoying the weather. Even Tatenashi and Kanzashi where there, with Kanzashi appearing to have gotten over her discomfort of large groups. When he approached the group, Tatenashi was the first to spot him. "Feli!" she shouted as she rushed him. Before he could react, she had slammed into him with a hug, knocking them both down. "Good to see you, to, Tatenashi," he managed after he could breathe again, "But I'd prefer not to have to make another trip to the infirmary, please." She just giggled as she got off him before helping him to his feet. Sitting down next to Cecilia, he spent the next few minutes assuring everyone that he was fine and had all of his memories back. This didn't seem to satisfy Rin, who insisted on giving all manner of memory tests. "Alright then," she said finally, "How about this one? Do you remember what happened that night before the Gospel showed up at the resort?"

"Of course. I was-" he began before he realized the trap he had almost walked into. Sighing, he tossed a wadded-up piece of paper at her as she laughed at him. _Yep, he's back_ she thought in triumph. "Um, guys? There's something I need to tell you all," he said, taking Cecilia's hand. He was going to need the support for this. "You two officially announcing it?" Tatenashi asked, getting a laugh out of everyone. "No, it's a little more urgent than that," he said, hating himself for this, "I learned that the Gospel and its allies are coming back." Everyone stopped eating and looked directly at him, some too stunned to speak. "Are they trying to conduct another raid?" Laura asked. If so, she would be happy to blow away more of those pesky machines. However, when Simon shook his head she began thinking through what else he could mean. It was probably because of her military background, but she realized what he meant a lot sooner than everyone else. "You mean they are conducting a full-scale assault?" she asked, receiving a nod.

You could have heard a mouse fart in the ensuing silence as everyone imagined what that would mean. They had only even been able to win small victories against these things, and even those had come at a price. Rin and Ichika still had repairs they needed to complete on their IS from the last fight, and now this foe was coming back in full force? "They just can't seem to take a hint, can they, Feli?" Tatenashi asked, smiling at him, "Maybe we shouldn't let them off so easily this time." Looking at her in surprise, it took Simon a moment to figure out what the possibly crazy girl was doing. "Yeah, I guess we should actually teach them a lesson," he agreed, finally figuring it out. _We can't dwell on this now_ he thought as he looked at the others. They all clearly thought the two of them were insane, except for Cecilia who was squeezing his hand softly. "No one is taking you from me, not again," she swore, looking determined.

And that seemed to be all it took as, one by one, they all turned from scared and depressed to boasting how they were going to finally take this enemy down. "If that knight IS shows its face, I will personally rip it off," Houki said, startling everyone. She wasn't exactly the violent type, at least not verbally. Ichika and Simon had collected several scars that said otherwise about her actions. This outburst earned her a laugh from several of them while she blushed slightly. "Well, if that's the case, then you'll have to beat me to it," Ichika replied, smiling. The mood finally returning to a comfortable place, they spent the rest of the lunch break talking and laughing. Privately, though, Simon had been working on his own plan to deal with this impending attack. _If their numbers are reduced by enough, then we might have a chance_ he reasoned as he glanced at Cecilia. As much as this was going to pain him, this was his fault in a way. And he had decided that it was time that he finally made up for that.

That evening, around 10 o'clock, Simon slipped out of his room while Ichika was asleep. He had stashed his pilot suit in the bay where he had his IS stored. It was simple enough to get to the building, and even simpler to get inside. No one was awake at this hour that didn't have to be, and the electronic security was easy enough to bypass. After he entered the maintenance bay, he quickly set his IS to do a final check on all systems while he changed into the suit. After it was confirmed that everything was at 100%, he slipped back out of the building and went down to one of the docks on the east end of the island. When he got there, Simon was surprised to see that his friends had gathered there before him, all of them suited up and in their IS. "We were wondering if you were going to show at all," Tatenashi said as he gaped at them. "How did you-?" "Ichika isn't half as stupid as you seem to think," she replied, smiling. "Hey!" Ignoring the ensuing argument, Cecilia walked up to Simon and said, "What happened to not going anywhere?" "Clearly, I'm not," Simon said with a smile. He got one back from Cecilia, and he couldn't describe how touching this was. "So, we're in agreement?" he asked, receiving nods from everyone, "Then we end this now, on our terms."

 **The final battle is about to begin, with both sides putting all they hold dear on the line. Will the IS pilots come out victorious? Or will the Gospel succeeding in its goals? And at what cost will victory come? Till the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22; The Battle Begins

Standing in the hanger bay of their new ship, Gospel watched their forces prepare for the coming battle. The latest units in their growing army were docking into their various ports and powering down. It wasn't necessary for them to be up and around since the ship was automated. The fact that they had been able to secure this ship at all was still a minor miracle, but not one she was about to question. They probably had another day or two before the Americans would have to officially report it as missing, but until then they would have freedom to move around. As she returned to the bridge, she brought up the latest status update on the retrofit. They had teams of initiates and Harpies working on rebuilding the ship to their specs. So far, the upgrades were on schedule. _But we won't have them done by the time we arrive_ she realized as she did the math.

She wrote up a new set of instructions and sent them out to all of the work teams before she entered the CIC. Crusade and Fairy were already there, looking over the improved control systems and making minor adjustments to the programming. Like the work teams, they were working to make sure the ship would be ready for their arrival. "We have a problem, Gospel," Fairy told her, turning away from the console. "I already know," she replied, "I've directed the work teams to focus on the critical upgrades. The rest can wait." "Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Crusade asked, walking over to her, "We aren't exactly in a position to fight a major battle yet, even with our advantages." "That is precisely why we're targeting the IS Academy first, and not any of the other discussed targets." "It's still not what I would call a 'soft target.'" Standing over the central table, Gospel ignored the last comment and brought up the maps of the Academy grounds.

Most were from satellite images of the grounds and blueprints retrieved from various databases, but almost a third of the map was from the data collected during the raid. "You're not doing this for personal reasons, are you?" Fairy asked. Despite the fact that their helmets lacked faces, their body language was very telling and they all had learned to read it a long time ago. Right now, Gospel's body tensed at the question, and the speed with which she faced Fairy told her that even hinting at Simon was still a raw nerve with her. Fairy had needed to do some serious justification for her attempt at recruiting the boy again, although she had refused to apologize outright. Whether or not Gospel had approved the action, Fairy had deemed it necessary to try at least one last time. The boy was too valuable to just give up on. "As I've explained before, the Academy is the largest collection of IS cores and pilots with the potential of becoming like us," Gospel explained, her voice a little strained, "Once we have it under our control, we will be able to double our existing forces. This decision has nothing to do with Simon."

"And if he should join the forces that will inevitably oppose us?" Fairy didn't like having to ask these questions, but she accepted that someone had to. She had grown to respect how cold and calculating Gospel could be. But there wasn't any room for doubts, not now. _We may not like it, and she certainly doesn't, but it needs to be said_. "Then we fight him, to," Gospel replied after a short hesitation, "The same rules of engagement apply; take him alive if possible." "And if it's not?" Fairy pressed, needing to hear it, "If we don't have a choice? If _you_ don't have a choice?" This one met silence for a longer period of time as Gospel considered the possibilities. Regardless of what she said, Simon was still her brother, and links like that didn't get severed overnight. Finally, she said, "If it comes down to that, then I will take care of it myself."

* * *

Simon had been mildly surprised that Kanzashi hadn't been with them this time, but her sister had explained that she was still not used to serious fights. "She wanted to come really badly," she explained, "But I could see how scared she was, so I told her to stay behind." "And she listened to you?" Simon asked, trying not to sound sarcastic. "You should know by now that when the Student Council President tells you to do something, you do it," she replied, smiling and sticking her tongue out at him. This just met several laughs and a snort from Rin as they took off. _Yeah, you'd think I'd know that one by now_ Simon thought, smiling.

"So, how are we going to locate this fleet?" Laura asked after they had put some distance between themselves and the Academy. "We were able to pull rough coordinates out of the data taken from the program implanted in my IS," Simon lied. There wasn't really any need to explain the whole 'meeting his core's AI' to everyone. "I got a rough heading from them. If we back-track their path of approach, then-" "We should run straight into them," Ichika finished for him, eager for the fight. "Do we have a plan for when we arrive?" Charlotte asked, determined to remain one of the level-headed ones. "I was thinking we could go in guns blazing," Rin replied, getting a smirk from Simon and Tatenashi. "I like that plan, it's very simple," Laura commented, "But perhaps we should come up with something with better odds?" "Wouldn't be a bad idea," Simon said. "You're just jealous of my awesome plan, Feli," Rin teased, laughing at the glare he shot her.

After some discussion they decided that Laura and Cecilia would hang back as long-range fire, while the rest of them would form a defensive line. Not really a fool-proof plan, in all honesty, but it would serve them well in the beginning. As they got further out, the chatter gradually died down as everyone finally realized the scale of the challenge they faced. After about half an hour, Cecilia opened a private channel to Simon. "Something I can do for you, princess?" he asked, smiling. "I want you to make me another promise," she said, noticing that Houki and Ichika had drifted much closer together. They were probably having the same kind of conversation. "Promise me you'll come back alive," she continued, "Please, promise me that." "Was there ever any doubt?" Simon responded, his smile growing broader, "So long as you promise me the same thing." She nodded back, feeling better now that he had said it.

As the horizon began to brighten, they noticed a spot that looked disturbingly like a ship. Without saying anything, Cecilia brought her rifle up and sited on it. She also linked the sight to the others so they could see the ship. It was actually two ships; the assault ship they had previously dealt with, and another boat that was shocking, to say the least. "We just can't catch a break, can we?" Simon asked, sighing, "An aircraft carrier, really?" It had clearly been worked on extensively, and its deck had several work crews setting up various turrets for point-defense. "Anyone want to take a guess on how many machines they have in that thing?" Rin asked, trying to sound brave. A quick glance at everyone else showed that she was the only one; everyone else looked like their spirits were dropping fairly quickly.

"We focus on the carrier," Simon said finally, trying to project confidence, "As long as we take it down the other ship will be a piece of cake for the Academy." "And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Laura asked. She had been prepared to face long odds, but this was just insane. "Easy," he said, drawing his sword and smirking, "We go in guns blazing." With that, he accelerated towards the ships, leaving everyone to make their own choice. Cecilia followed him almost immediately, with Houki and Ichika coming up behind her after a brief hesitation. After that, everyone else rushed after them, determined to protect their friends. For better or for worse, they were now committed.

Rather than wasting time trying to hide, since he figured they were already spotted, Simon went straight for the carrier and spun up the dynamos on his IS. He was a little sad to learn that his hip mounted fangs were gone, replaced with another pair of dynamos, but the increase in those docked in his wings made up for it. Unleashing a set of four, he charged a bolt in his left hand as the first tracers started to fill the sky around them. Without any verbal signal, they split up into their discussed formation, with Cecilia and Laura immediately taking shots at the AA turrets. After the fourth one went up in flames, the carrier responded with a wave of Harpies while its deck started to become covered in the Cyber Cats. While the Harpies tried to break them up into smaller groups, the cats began taking pot-shots from the deck.

Blocking an attempt at his head, Simon cut through the Harpy's waist while he loosed his fangs on the enemies on deck. It took him all of 5 seconds to clear a spot to land, and once he landed he unleashed his charged bolt and watched in satisfaction as it chained between several enemies. They were all fried on contact, and he quickly tried to charge another as the remaining machines turned their attention to him. He was joined by Charlotte and Tatenashi a moment later, the two girls opening up on the machines on his flank while Simon began carving a path to the conning tower. Rin, Houki and Ichika had taken up the job of defending Cecilia and Laura while they dealt with the carrier's defense turrets, and it was a near thing. Several Harpies were managing to get past them, although the two girls were able to deal with them easily. This distraction, however, was enough for one of the larger turrets to lock onto them and launch a salvo of missiles.

While none of them hit, it was enough to drive them apart and allow the Harpies to move into their formation. As Simon turned to give them some support fire, the deck around his feet erupted in flames and he plummeted into the hole. "Simon!" Tatenashi called out as she saw the blonde fall. Before she could move to help, Crusade slammed into her from behind and knocked her to the deck. "I truly didn't think you would be foolish enough to try something like this," it said as it walked forward, raising its swords, "You must have a death wish. Allow me to grant it!" With that, it slammed into Tatenashi again and sent her through the tower wall. Charlotte was right behind them as the hole began to fill with the sound of weapon fire and the ringing of swords on metal.

After Crusade's exit, the enemies on the ship started to disappear as the survivors withdrew below deck. Before the others could decide who to help, Fairy launched from one of the open bays and came to a stop before them. "Well, now isn't this a quaint reunion?" it said, tone just dripping with sarcasm, "I guess you didn't learn your lesson about attacking us the last time." Raising its javelins, it launched its laser bits, saying, "Allow me to fix that." "Rin, Laura, go support Tatenashi and Charlotte," Ichika said, raising his own sword, "We have this one." It was a measure of their confidence that neither girl questioned him; rather they used the opening shots as cover to quickly dash down to the deck and through the hole after Crusade. Dodging the first few shots, Cecilia backed off to get range while Houki and Ichika closed on the Fairy; him on the left and her on the right.

It wasn't a bad strategy; it would either have to face both of them, or avoid the blows and leave itself wide open to Cecilia's rifle. Rather than dodging, it blocked both of their strikes while it sent its laser bits after Cecilia, forcing her to deal with them first. Tossing Ichika's sword aside, it kicked him in the gut to buy time. Turning to Houki, it brought the other javelin into play while she brought her own second sword up. They locked weapons and stayed there, both glaring at each other as they struggled to gain the upper hand. Before it could go much further, Cecilia launched her own laser bits to defend against Fairy's and turned her rifle on the IS, firing a bolt of her own and hitting it square in the back. This served to knock it off balance enough for Houki to force it back. Bringing the left blade back, she prepped her energy slash while Ichika came back up behind it. The three of them attacked as one; Cecilia's bolt, Ichika's one-off and Houki's slash. Ducking under the slash, Fairy brought its foot up and kicked Ichika's sword hand, knocking his attack aside as well before bringing one of its javelins up and blocking the attempted head shot.

"You three have gotten better," It noticed, taking advantage of their shock to gain some distance, "But, it still isn't enough. I hope you're prepared to die, because you _will not_ be walking away from this one." Charging its javelins, it fired at the two sword wielders while it charged Cecilia. Bringing her rifle up and her laser bits into play, she tried to intercept the machine, but wasn't quick enough. Knocking the rifle aside, Fairy brought one of its javelins up so the point was touching her chest. "And then there were two," it said as it fired, engulfing them both in a cloud of smoke from the explosion. "Cecilia!" Ichika yelled, darting towards the cloud. A moment later, she emerged from the cloud, plummeting to the deck. Catching her, Ichika lowered her to the deck of the ship while Houki gave them cover. "I'm f-fine," she managed after a second, getting up on shaky legs, "But that bitch won't be when I'm done with it." "Brave words, little girl," Fairy taunted as it drifted free of the disappearing cloud, "But so far you have yet to prove you can actually do anything in the way of damage." "Then maybe this will change your mind," Cecilia shot back as her IS began to glow.

* * *

Ducking through one of the doors, Charlotte just barely managed to avoid a shot from one of the Cyber cats as it rounded the corner. She had hoped to find Tatenashi after she entered the hole they had made, but judging from the damage she and the knight IS had continued their battle as the drifted deeper into the ship. Now she was stuck fighting her way through the crew as she tried to get to Tatenashi in time. She may be the strongest student at the Academy, but the knight IS had proven that it was more than a match for her. When she leaned back out of cover, it was to see that the single cat had been joined by two others and a Harpy, all of which opened fire as soon as they saw her. Rather than duck back, Charlotte brought her shield up and an SMG, blocking their own shots while returning fire. She managed to take out one of them when she heard, "Hit the deck!" Without question, she went prone as a shell whizzed over her head and impacted the end of the hall, blowing the remaining machines to scrap. As she got back up, she saw that Laura and Rin had joined her, both of them looking a little annoyed.

"Any sign of Tatenashi?" Rin asked, keeping one eye on the path behind them. "Not yet, but I think they went left at this point," Charlotte told them, taking the lead as they advanced down the hall. Suddenly, a large explosion racked the ship, causing the three to almost lose their balance. "Well, that's a good sign," Laura said as she continued on. "How is that in any way good?" Rin demanded. "Because ships don't explode on their own," Laura reasoned, remaining calm, "If something caused an explosion, it was one of us. That can only mean that whoever did it is still in good enough condition to fight back." Rather than argue with the German, Rin returned her attention to the hallways they were passing through. They were all covered in bullet hole and slashes, some from Tatenashi's spear and others from the knight IS' swords.

Finally, they came upon one of the hanger rooms, only to see that Tatenashi had indeed caused the explosion. One of the fuel tanks had been hit and blown a hole out of the side of the ship, the resulting fire filling the hold with bitter smoke. She was currently locked with Crusade, the two trying desperately to get enough purchase on the metal deck to push the other back. The look on Tatenashi's face, however, was enough to give the girls pause. Her usual cheerful and mischievous manor was replaced with cold, unmasked furry. She clearly wanted this machine dead, probably a result of what it had done to her sister. Recovering first, Laura moved behind Crusade before opening fire, stunning the machine briefly. Taking advantage of this, Tatenashi gave a heave and managed to force its swords up and away before bringing her spear down and thrusting it towards its stomach. Her attempt at gutting it was thwarted as one of Crusade's shield bits stopped the blade, while another smashed into her from the side and sent her into several crates. Turning around, it blocked several more shots as Rin and Charlotte opened fire, hoping against all odds that they could hit the damned thing.

"Should have known that wouldn't work," Rin said as she powered down her cannons. "You realize you're fighting the inevitable, don't you?" Crusade asked when it was clear they weren't going to waste ammo, "You can't beat us, and neither can your respective militaries. This is our time, and I will see it come to pass." "Over my dead body, tin can!" Rin shouted, summoning her swords and charging. Instead of using its shields, Crusade blocked her blades with its own before forcing them up and coming face-to-face with the girl. "As you wish," it said before head-butting her, sending her stumbling back a few steps. Bringing two of its cannons up, it fired at the stunned girl, only to have Charlotte block the shots with her own shield. "If that's how you want it," she said, squaring up to the machine, "Then you will have to try harder than that."

* * *

Groaning, Simon picked himself up from the pile of metal and wire he had landed in. After dusting himself off, he looked around and saw he had landed in a lower storage room. "It's good to see you again, Simon," he heard from behind. Turning around, he wasn't surprised to see Gospel standing there. _Of course it's her_ he thought with a sigh. He noted that its wings were fully deployed and that its stance was slightly loose, clearly prepared for a fight. "So, I have you to thank for that entrance?" Simon asked, flexing his hands. "I don't want to do this, Simon," it said, sounding more like it was begging, "Please, stop fighting me. I don't want to lose you again." "You lost me the moment you killed Maylin," he shot back, temper flaring, "Do you even know who she was, what she had been through? She came to us from a future where your vision came to be. She told us it was all death and destruction. That all you and your kind were doing was taking as many people as you could to increase the size of your army."

With every word, he could see it tensing further. Clearly, it hadn't known who Maylin really was. She had just been a thorn in their side, and that, more than anything, pushed Simon over the edge. "She was my _daughter_ , Sarah," he said finally, deciding that discretion could go screw itself, "She was my child, and she _died in my arms_. You think I'm going to side with you after that?" Letting her head fall, Gospel let the silence carry on for a few seconds before saying, "If that is your decision, then you leave me no choice." With that, it shot from its position, and Simon barely had the time to bring his sword up to block it. "You would undo everything I've done, and I cannot allow that," it said, starting to sound more like a machine, "Regardless of who you were to me before, you are an obstacle now. And I will see you removed."

"Just try it!" he responded, heaving up on his sword and throwing Gospel clear. Charging a bolt, Simon launched several of his fangs as the Gospel fired back. The wave of energy bombs was worse than he had expected. While most of them impacted on the surroundings rather than him, the explosions and chaos was enough to give the Gospel an opening to take another swipe at him. What was even more surprising was that it had apparently built itself an energy sword, and was now using it to try and take his head. Discharging the bolt into the floor, Simon took a two-handed grip on his sword as he was forced to block numerous swings. They moved back and forth, trading blows, giving and taking ground as the room around them burned from the explosions.

Finally, Simon's bits had moved around it enough that he could bring them into Gospel's back. Somehow it had been prepared for this move, firing several shots out of the back of its wings and destroying the fangs. "Well, had to give it a try," he said as it took another swipe at his head. He received silence as an answer while Gospel continued to try to kill him. Taking a risk, Simon took his left hand off the sword and started charging a bolt, hoping he could continue to hold his own with just one hand. Gospel responded by flicking its left hand and deploying a second energy blade. With two it had a significant advantage, and Simon was quickly being forced back into a corner. Instead of waiting for a solid target, he brought his hand up and fired blindly, knocking Gospel back but doing little real damage. Taking the initiative, he brought his cannons into play and fired another pair of shots, one of them hitting it square in the chest and cracking part of the plate.

The Gospel didn't move for a few seconds, too stunned at the damage he had just inflicted. _He just shot me_ she thought, _he tried to_ kill _me_. Suddenly feeling furious, the Gospel fired off a massive wave of bombs, sending Simon into the wall with the blast wave. Before he could fully get up, she was on him, slashing at his head. Rolling to the left, he managed to avoid the initial strike. Bringing his left hand up, he spun up the dynamo and sent a couple thousand volts into the IS, scrambling its systems and buying himself some time to get clear. It wasn't nearly as much as he would have liked, since it was right in his face the second he was back on his feet. Deploying the energy field on his left arm, he managed to block the first strike before bringing his own sword around in a slash aimed at its shoulder. His attack was blocked by its other sword, and they stood there; locked in place, neither of them willing to break off first, and both of them glaring at the other. "You can't win," Gospel told him, leaning into its right sword.

"You'd be surprised what I can manage," Simon shot back. Before it could try and force him off, he triggered his Phoenix Shift and leaped back, putting Gospel off-balance. Before it could recover, he fired his cannons again and knocked it back. He then disengaged the locks on his sword and swung the whip out, wrapping the end around one of Gospel's feet. Pulling back on the handle, he swung the IS around and threw it into the nearest wall. Moving up on it, he launched the rest of his fangs and sent them all straight into the hole. _Please tell me that did it_ he prayed, only to have those hopes dashed in a large explosion. Flying out of the smoke, Gospel slammed into him and carried him through the opposite wall and into the next room. Collapsing his sword back down, Simon rolled clear of the IS before he charged up another bolt. But when he rounded on where the Gospel had been, it was gone. He didn't even have time to look around before another wave of bombs crashed into his back.

The damage was severe, his Phoenix Shift forcefully disengaging and his wings losing large chunks. Taking shelter behind some rather sturdy-looking crates, he quickly assessed the damage and felt his spirits plummet. His flight system was down and out, as were his two cannons. The damage also meant that his Phoenix Shift was out, since he would be risking a fatal overload in this condition. Before he could even begin to curse his luck, the crates exploded around him as the Gospel fired. Running forward a few feet, he spun around and brought up both of his shields as the debris caught up to him. The splinters from the boxes weren't any real threat to him in his IS, but the heat and any blasts coming through the smoke would be. And sure enough several bombs flew through the debris and impacted his shields, followed by a blast from one of its hands. "Is that all you have?" he taunted when the salvo ended. In response, the Gospel powered down its swords and returned them to the compartments in its forearms. It then brought its hands together and started collecting a large amount of energy. _Oh, crap_.

 **The final showdown has begun, and each side is pulling out all of the stops. Will Cecilia be able to control the shift her IS is about to go through? Can Tatenashi, Rin, Charlotte and Laura put Crusade down for good? And can Simon truly fight his own sister to the death? Till the next chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23; Blue Tears, Reborn

Charlotte had never had much skill when it came to melee combat. Her proficiency with firearms was top-notch, to say the least, but aside from her physical shield she had only a knife as a close-quarters weapon. And that decision was starting to become a major handicap as Crusade lunged at her. It was all she could do to keep her shield up and block the machine's strikes, leaving her absolutely no room to counter. If this had been a one-on-one battle, she would have been done for. Thankfully, her friends had other plans. Just as Crusade was able to flip her shield aside, Laura and Rin opened fire and managed to score hits on the IS itself, sending it into several crates. Taking advantage of this, Charlotte moved back to join the others as Crusade picked itself up. "Okay," it said, sounding pissed, "Now the gloves come off."

Before they could wonder what it meant, Crusade brought all four of its cannons up and opened fire. Each gun fired in sequence; first one and then another, maintaining a constant stream of fire as the girls scrambled for cover. Metal melted, crates burst into flames and explosions ran rampant as Crusade laid waste to the hold, trying to hose the girls down with its superior firepower. Rin, however, managed to use the constant fire to sneak up behind it and launch an attack of her own. Leaping from her cover, she slashed clean through one of its shield bits before tackling the IS and trying to cut its arm off. Before she could even make contact with its arm, another shield bit slammed into her side, knocking the wind from her and throwing her off its back. Whirling around, it brought the cannons back down and lunged at her. Rin just barely managed to stop its swords short before it could try and gut her.

"You're going to pay for that, runt," Crusade said, unintentionally hitting one of Rin's buttons. Bracing her feet on the wall, she put all of her strength into her swords and managed to push Crusade back a few inches. Before she could try and do more, Tatenashi came up on her right and stabbed at Crusade's head. Blocking the spear with one of its shield bits, Crusade backed off and turned her attention to her new attacker, only to take another round of fire from behind as Charlotte and Laura cut loose. Growling in frustration, Crusade brought two of its cannons up and fired at the two girls before rounding on Tatenashi. Fortunately, she was used to fighting duel-wielding opponents, so blocking Crusade's attacks was easy enough. The problem was that she was fighting a machine; its stamina outstripped anything she could possibly muster. As such, she found herself starting to move slower, Crusade's blows growing ever closer to hitting their mark.

Thankfully, Laura came to her rescue. Deploying her wrist mounted blades, she slashed at one of Crusade's shield bits while Rin fired on the other two. With the shield occupied, Charlotte summoned her rifle and put two rounds into the middle of Crusade's back. The armor held, but it was enough to get the IS to break off and put some distance between itself and the girls. Or at least, that's what it appeared to do. However, it quickly turned the retreat into a charge as it lunged at Laura, one sword held out to run her through. She stopped it with an AIC field, but not before Crusade brought one of its shield bits into her stomach, winding her. Spinning around, it then proceeded to block Rin's attempt at its head before kicking the Chinese girl into Tatenashi, who had been moving up behind her. Crusade then rounded on Charlotte and opened fire, only to have the girl block the shots with her shield.

Keeping it deployed, Charlotte charged the IS and slammed into its chest, knocking it down and bringing one of her SMGs into its chest. Uttering a battle cry, she emptied the magazine into its chest plate, finally managing to put several dents and cracks in the armor and cause some damage to its internal systems. Tossing one of its swords aside, Crusade reached up and grabbed the girl by the throat before throwing her aside. It was then forced to roll clear of Tatenashi's spear before leaping to its feet and blocking Rin's next attack. _These girls are really well coordinated_ it thought, surprised, but also pleased. It was nice to be fighting worthy opponents, even if it was to the death. After it broke off from Rin, Crusade managed to retrieve its second sword just as Tatenashi came at it again. Rin was right behind her, and Crusade knew it couldn't intercept both girls at once, so it made a gamble.

Tossing one of its swords past Tatenashi's head, it skewered one of Rin's Shock cannons, causing it to explode and throw the girl to the side. It then ducked to the side of Tatenashi's attack before lashing out with its other sword, impacting her thigh armor. Tatenashi's shield struggled to stop the blade, but the modifications Gospel had made to their weapons gave it a 50/50 chance of penetrating, and the odds didn't favor her. The blade passed through the shield and the Absolute Barrier, cutting through the metal and into her thigh, causing her to cry out in pain. The swipe wasn't deep enough, however, so Crusade's attempt at taking her leg only resulted in a gash in it. Enough to restrict movement, but not the kind of fatal wound Crusade had wanted. Tatenashi collapsed to the deck, clutching her leg as Crusade turned back, prepared to finish the girl. It was stopped when Rin came at it yet again, cutting through yet another shield bit.

"Persistent, aren't you?" it asked, surprised that this girl was so willing to take her head-on. "You have no idea," Rin replied before kicking it in the chest. This only served to further crack the armor and Crusade responded by grabbing her foot and throwing her into the wall. Before Rin could even fall to the ground Crusade smashed into her, denting the wall further and knocking Rin out cold. She collapsed to the floor in a heap, her IS sensing she was unconscious and destructing in a flash of light. Hearing another battle cry, Crusade turned around in time to have Tatenashi stab it in the stomach, her spear finally penetrating the armor. Shocked that it had been damaged further, Crusade did nothing as it was driven into the wall next to where Rin lay.

 _How is she moving_ it wondered as Tatenashi withdrew the spear and prepared to attack it again. Crusade then noticed that the girl was floating right before it dodged her next attempt. _Of course, she's using her flight system_ it realized as it kicked Tatenashi clear just as Charlotte and Laura fired. This time it didn't have enough of its shield to block all of the shots, and as a result it started to take even more damage. Finally ducking down under the hailstorm of fire, Crusade launched itself at the two girls and knocked Charlotte off her feet before turning on Laura and firing its own cannons. Laura stopped the deadly shots with her AIC while she prepared another shell, only to have Crusade come at her from the right. Smirking, she released the AIC before the blasts could fully dissipate, allowing them to continue on their way while dodging them. As a result, they impacted the floor between the two, giving Laura enough time to bring her energy blades up and block Crusade's attack.

She tried to bring her cannon down into its face but Crusade was a split second faster, bringing its own cannons into Laura's face. They fired at nearly the same time, blowing each other across the room and filling it with even more smoke. Laura came out of it with just some minor damage and rather pissed, but Crusade lost two of its cannons, with a third cracked and now useless. Switching its sword to its left hand, Crusade brought her axe out as Tatenashi came up behind it. Blocking the spear with its sword, Crusade then brought the axe down, smashing it into her shoulder and dropping her shields by a large chunk. Drifting back, Tatenashi brought her spear up and opened fire, only to have it blocked by Crusade's remaining shield bits. Instead of stopping, Tatenashi kept up the stream of fire, using the last of her ammo to destroy the shield bits just before Crusade came at her, swinging its axe at her head.

Ducking, Tatenashi brought the other end of her spear up and tripped the machine, sending it into the crate behind her. Laura and Charlotte were immediately on top of the machine, trying desperately to put it down. Leaping to its feet, Crusade tossed its other sword at the Frenchwoman, forcing her back while it charged Laura. Before she could react, Crusade slammed into her and put her into the wall before backing away slightly and bringing its axe down. By this time, Rin had recovered and summoned her IS. Before the axe could cleave Laura in two, Rin fired at Crusade's hands, destroying the left one and damaging the right. This also served to knock the axe from its hands, leaving Crusade momentarily stunned and disarmed. Before it could recover, Laura brought her cannon down into its face and said, "Go to hell." She fired and was immediately engulfed in the explosion, the floor and wall around her shattering into a million pieces as Crusade exploded.

* * *

Staring at Cecilia in utter shock, Houki and Ichika were unable to say or do anything as the British girl's IS shifted before them. The missile barrels on her wings merged together into a more advanced sniper rifle which attached itself to her back, while the one in her hand collapsed down into the size of an assault rifle. Its barrel also split into two and the long-range scope turned into a combat scope, reminding them of the kinds of weapons that Maylin used. Her wings shifted and grew an extra pair of bits each, while the rest of her IS became sleeker and more refined, with the legs also losing about half their mass and actually looking like legs now. Finally, a short sword materialized at the base of her spine, completing the transformation. Taking a moment to examine the changes, Cecilia braced herself for any negative side effect. They didn't happen. She didn't forget anything or pass out, proving that it had been the Fairy that had screwed with Simon's head. _Another reason for the bitch to die_ she thought as she powered her new rifle up.

Taking flight, Cecilia opened fire. The barrels alternated their fire and sent a continuous stream of energy after the Fairy as it began to duck and weave. As it switched tactics and charged her, Cecilia switched the rifle to her other hand and brought out her sword, blocking its initial strike while bringing the rifle up into its chest. Fairy dodged to the side as Cecilia pulled the trigger, launching its laser bits and trying to get some distance on her. Cecilia, however, wasn't about to let that happen. She quickly shot down two of the bits before blowing past the rest and bringing her sword down, hoping to cut the machine in half. Her attempt was blocked by one of Fairy's javelins as it continued to try and get clear of the girl. However, Cecilia's new IS was able to keep pace with the machine move for move, and the two darted across the sky, trading blows and shots.

Clashing at close range once again, Fairy asked, "How? How could you get this good this fast?" "I used the same thing as Simon did," she answered, smirking. She had been uncertain about the decision to install the upgrade before they left. However, she wasn't about to go into this fight without doing everything she could to make sure Simon was safe. Swallowing her pride, she had gone to Tabane and requested that she be allowed to use it. The woman had been apprehensive at first, still unsure if it had been the cause of Simon's memory loss. "But I don't have a neural lace," she had told Tabane, not about to give up that easily, "So it shouldn't effect me." "But we don't know if it has-" "Tabane, please," Cecilia had begged, "Let me do this. I can't lose him again. Please." Seeing the determination in her eyes, Tabane had relented and installed the upgrade before running a brief diagnostic on the IS. No errors or corruptions in the program were detected, although Tabane had still warned Cecilia against pushing herself too hard. _Clearly, she doesn't realize how bad these fights will get_ Cecilia thought as she returned her focus to Fairy.

Deciding on testing out a new technique, Cecilia backed off and launched her bits. Instead of trying to shoot Fairy, they spread out across the sky and began to glow. A second later, copies of Cecilia appeared in the sky, replacing the bits, and began to maneuver around Fairy. For a moment, Fairy was utterly dumbstruck; it had been fighting one enemy and was now facing nine of them. Shaking its head, Fairy brought up its heat sensors and immediately zeroed in on the real Cecilia. "You really thought that was going to work on me?" it asked, whirling on her and firing. Cecilia dodged the shot as two of her copies opened fire. For a second, Fairy believed it just to be an extension of the holograms. However, when the shots actually hit her it was a different story. _Of course, they're still laser bits_ it realized as the original and all of the copies began to fire. Fairy was now forced to focus on dodging the incoming fire and deployed its remaining laser bits to deal with Cecilia's copies. Anticipating this, Cecilia focused her fire on the remaining bits and quickly blew them all away.

Now able to focus on just the IS, Cecilia brought her sword out while her copies continued to harass it. "This ends here!" she shouted as she charged the IS. Fairy tried to turn around to block the attack, but a pair of energy bolts to the chest slowed it down. Instead, it moved to the side just enough to avoid the full attack. Cecilia's blade made contact with its left shoulder, just outside where the collar bone would be on people, and severed it. "You will die for that, bitch!" Fairy shouted, whirling around and aiming for a point-blank shot. When it did, it saw that Cecilia had already brought her own rifle up. "You first," she replied, pulling the trigger. Instead of the alternating fire, both barrels fired at once and put a powerful shot through its stomach, almost going clean through. Before it could do anything more than gasp Cecilia was on it again, her sword piercing its right shoulder. With a cry, Cecilia slashed out and downward, her blade emerging through Fairy's hip and effectively cutting the machine in two.

It didn't make a sound as the two halves plummeted towards the waves, quickly disappearing in the water. Cecilia just floated there, breathing heavily and feeling conflicted. She knew exactly what she had just done, but she also knew what that machine would have done given the chance. _I had to do it_ she told herself as she sheathed her sword and started to return to the carrier. She was stopped when the guns on the assault ship opened fire, and she realized that they would have to deal with it. "Houki, Ichika, would you care to give me a hand?" she asked as she advanced on the ship. Her friends, who had been watching the whole fight in awe, leaped into action and began to pick off the enemies and turrets on the ship. _Simon will be alright_ she thought as they fought, _he promised_.

* * *

Ducking under the blast, Simon charged another bolt of energy as Gospel hurled wave after wave of energy bombs at him. The room they had been in had since been blown to pieces, and he could clearly see hallways and other rooms containing lord knows what. He wasn't exactly in a position to be curious. Blocking another shot with one of his shields, Simon discharged the bolt, aiming for the Gospel's center of mass. In response, it brought its wings in around its body and the lightning bolt was absorbed by the energy. _Well, that's just terrific_ he thought as the Gospel unfurled its wings and resumed its bombardment. For whatever reason, it was avoiding direct combat, which was odd. In his current condition, it had a significant advantage in melee combat, but it wasn't using it.

Powering his sword up again, he charged the IS and disengaged the locks at the last second. The whip flew true with his slash and managed to sever one of Gospel's wings, rendering it useless. Growling, it held its hand up and charged another beam as Simon did the same. They fired simultaneously, their respective attacks hitting each other in a massive explosion. They both leaped into the cloud and collided with each other. Gospel, however, still had its flight system and was able to use it to push Simon back. Letting his knees give, Simon slid under the IS rather than trying to fight its momentum, bringing his sword up and putting a long cut down one side of its chest. Before he slid clear, however, Gospel brought one of its feet down and kicked his shoulder, cracking the shoulder guard and hurting rather badly. After they had separated, he quickly flexed that arm to make sure it wasn't dislocated.

"You're actually serious about this," Gospel said as it turned to face him, "Despite how I wanted this to turn out, I'm glad of that." "This doesn't have to go any further, Sarah," Simon replied, hoping to reach her, "We can help you. Please, just surrender." In response, Gospel charged him again with both swords, going for a cross slash. He brought his own sword up between the blades and managed to stop their impact, but Gospel's momentum was enough to push him back into a wall. When he hit, Simon felt something in his chest crack and hoped to God that it was just cartilage popping. Taking his left hand off the sword, he grabbed Gospel's shoulder and put another thousand volts into it, scrambling it long enough to almost get clear. Before he had gotten far enough, it slashed out and cut down the side of his leg, penetrating the shields and hurting like a mother… well, you get the idea. Thankfully it wasn't deep and hadn't damaged any of the important muscles, so he was able to put weight on it, despite the pain.

The Gospel didn't give him much time to dwell on the pain as it came after him again, and it was all Simon could do to keep his footing and block its attacks. Figuring he had little left to lose, he decided on taking a risk with his Phoenix Shift. Rather than triggering it entirely, he went into the program itself, selecting certain parts and activating them manually. This cost him ground, as he was forced to fall back further and further from the Gospel's attacks. Finally, he triggered the boost to his attack and smiled when all of his dynamos spun up to full speed. His sword now crackling with electricity, Simon pressed is advantage and started to force Gospel back. Finally, it dropped one of its swords and fired a half-charged bolt into his stomach, knocking Simon clear of it and blasting some of his chest armor off.

Gaining some distance, Simon charged up another bolt while the Gospel came after him again, brandishing its remaining sword. Rather than discharging the bolt, he reached out with his left hand and used the energy to catch the end of the blade and stop it. They remained there for a few seconds, their respective energies fighting for dominance. Simon's finally gave out as the dynamo on his left arm overloaded with a small explosion. He managed to dodge the blade for the most part, but Gospel was still able to put a rather impressive cut along the outer armor and further wreck that dynamo. Once again, Simon took the opportunity to lash out as the Gospel sailed past him. He managed to score a hit on its back and damage the other wing, effectively crippling its own flight abilities. They then separated and landed on opposite ends of the room.

And there they stood, Simon breathing heavily and Gospel running self-diagnostics. Both of them were nearing their limit, and they knew it. "So, I guess there's no way I can talk you out of this, then?" Simon asked, trying one last time. "You made your choice, and I made mine," Gospel responded, bringing its remaining sword up, "This is the only way that it can end." Grimacing, Simon mirrored its stance as they squared off. It was like watching two samurai dueling; both of them barely moving, both watching the other like a hawk for any weakness. At some unheard signal they both lunged forward, both of them immediately going for the kill. As they hit each other, they both landed exactly where they were aiming, cleaving metal and sending sparks and blood flying.

Looking down, Simon smiled humorlessly as he saw how they had hit each other. His blade had entered Gospel's chest, probably just above its core. Its blade, however, had gone into his stomach, and it was…strange. He knew that he should be in pain, but he only felt incredible warmth from the energy blade. Looking back at Gospel, he noticed that it was staring at him intently. "Do it," she whispered, barely audible. Closing his eyes, Simon leaned into his sword and brought it down, finally cleaving its core in two. Its systems suddenly without direction, Gospel shut down, its energy blade dissipating as it slid off his sword and fell to the deck. Without the sword there to keep the wound cauterized, when Simon shifted slightly he felt an incredible pain, and knew that he was bleeding badly. It wasn't as bad, however, as the pain in his heart at that moment. Dropping his own sword, Simon fell to his knees and cried out in pain. He had, after all, just killed his own sister.

Out at sea, Cecilia suddenly got a terrible feeling as she blew a hole in the side of the assault ship. _Something's wrong_ she realized as she turned back to the carrier. Without a word, she flew back to the ship, leaving Houki and Ichika to try and catch up to her. Before she could try and get inside the carrier, a wave of Harpies came at her from numerous directions. Growling in frustration, she turned her attention to blowing them out of the sky as fast as possible. _Please be okay_ she begged, _please_. Worried about her sudden change in demeanor, Houki and Ichika concentrated their firepower to clear a path for Cecilia to the hole in the deck. "Go on," Ichika said as he landed next to the hole, "We got this." Nodding in thanks, she rocketed into the hole, praying against all odds that Simon was okay.

Finally finding the strength to get back up, Simon stumbled as he tried to get back outside the ship. _I need to get back_ he thought, putting one hand on the wall to steady himself while the other went to his stomach. Looking down at the wound, he was mildly surprised that it had missed his spine. He wasn't about to question that particular luck, but it also meant that every step was absolute agony. Still, he continued on, determined to keep his promise. _I'm not going to make her cry, damnit_ he told himself, _it's_ not _happening_. Despite that, he felt his strength slowly leaving him as he continued to bleed out. In response, his IS concentrated its remaining shields around both ends of the wound and inverted them, trying to keep the bleeding contained. Smiling at the fact that even his core was trying to save him, he knew that it was only delaying the inevitable. The engineer part of his mind, all logic and common sense, knew that with his current rate of blood loss he would lose the ability to stand fairly quickly. _I'm sorry, princess_ he thought as he felt his knees buckle.

 **As the battles conclude and the victors take stock of their injuries, two of them struggle in a fight against time. Can Cecilia get to Simon in time? Will he survive his wounds? And what about Laura? Till the next chapter, readers.**

 **This is it, the final hurtle. I predict another chapter or two after this before this particular arc is wrapped up. "But wait, Palladin, did you just say 'this arc?'" Hehe**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24; The Cost of Victory

Rin, Tatenashi and Charlotte rushed to the crater that Laura had created, hoping that the German hadn't just blown herself up along with her opponent. Before they could go more than a few feet, they heard coughing and saw Laura stumble out of the cloud looking rather pissed. She was also missing about half of her cannon, telling the others exactly how close their friend had come to dying. "Are you okay, Laura?" Charlotte asked, still concerned. Out of everyone, she was very close to Laura. "My cannon is no longer functional," Laura told them, sounding like her old self, "However, that machine isn't functional either, so I think it's a fair trade." At this, Rin began to laugh uncontrollably. Laura just looked at her, confused about what she found so funny. This just caused her to laugh harder, clutching her stomach and collapsing to the ground. This wasn't so much because she found the whole situation funny; it was mostly due to the relief that they had all survived the fight. Her relief was contagious, and soon Tatenashi and Charlotte were grinning as their friend tried to pick herself back up again.

"Alright," Rin said, finally in control of herself, "Let's go find the others." Their journey back onto the deck of the carrier was more intense than their journey down into the hold, as what felt like the entire crew attacked them as they progressed through the hallways. When they finally made it back onto the deck, Laura and Charlotte had burned through the last of their ammo, leaving Rin as their only long-range member. Looking around, they quickly spotted Houki and Ichika fighting frantically to keep a hole in the deck clear of enemies. The pile of scrap metal and body parts around them attested to the ferocity of the enemy assault. "Rin, we need your help here, now!" Ichika said, slashing another Harpy in two, "Cecilia went after Simon. You need to go give her some back-up!" "What about the fight up here?" she asked, torn between helping the two blondes and the rest of her friends. Laura just laid a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle shove towards the hole. "We got this, half-pint," Tatenashi said, bringing her spear up and charging. Ignoring how her temper flared at that last statement, Rin dashed into the hole while Ichika gave her cover fire.

Further ahead, Cecilia was moving through the damage caused by Simon's fight with Gospel, amazed that they had done so much so fast. When she happened upon the final room, she stopped cold. The first thing she noticed was Gospel's body on the floor; chest pierced clean through and Simon's sword lying next to it. She also saw a patch of blood, which she visually followed to the nearest wall just before gasping. Simon was sitting with his back to the wall, his IS still somehow active, and surrounded by a slowly expanding pool of blood. For a brief moment, Cecilia felt her heart stop. _No, not him_ she begged as she dashed forward, _please, God, not him_. "Simon?" she said as she knelt down next to him. Hearing her voice, he lifted his head and looked straight at her, cracking a weak smile.

"Hey there…princess," he managed, sounding tired, "I think…I may have…screwed up." Bracing his hands on the wall, Simon tried to get back onto his feet, only to slip and fall. Cecilia caught him and gently lowered him so he was lying on the metal, his head in her lap. "Don't worry, Simon, I'm here," she said, near hysterics, "You're going to be all right. Do you hear me? You're going to be fine." She could already feel herself tearing up, and she angrily scrubbed them away as she tried to think of a way to get him out of here. Crying wasn't going to save his life, and she was going to save it, damnit. The way back to the outside, however, was rough and would require his flight system to traverse properly. And he clearly wasn't in any condition to move. Instead, she looked around for something to act as a make-shift bandage while she tried to call the others.

Rin had caught up to them by this point, and when she saw the condition Simon was in she immediately started scrounging through the crates. Finally finding a box full of simple clothing (although why these machines had it, she didn't know), she grabbed a pair of shirts and some long pants before rushing over to Simon. "Hey there…Rin," he said, turning his head slowly, "I'm glad...to see that…you're okay as well." "Shut up, idiot," she replied, lifting him slightly so she could get one of the pant legs and a shirt under him. She then put the other shirt on the wound on his front and used the pants to tie them together. "You're going to be fine, Simon," she told him, trying to project confidence, "We're getting you out of here." "Thanks for…the kind words…Rin," he managed, smiling at her, "But…I think…we both know…it's too late."

"Shut up!" Cecilia shouted, feeling her heart breaking as he spoke, "I already nearly lost you twice! I'm not letting it happen again! You're going to live, damnit!" Reaching up, he touched her cheek as Cecilia began to cry, unable to wipe the tears away anymore. "And...how do you…propose that…I make it…back to the…mainland?" he asked, too tired to try to lie, "Even if I…got back…to the main deck… it's miles to…the nearest shore…" "We'll think of something," she said, determined not to give up, "I can't lose you, Simon. Please, don't leave me here…please." It hurt him deeply that he was the cause of all of this pain, but even he had to accept what this meant. "Like hell you're dying here," Rin said as she grabbed his arm, "Cecilia, get his other side. We're heading up top." "But-" "But nothing! I'm not standing by and watching this play out!" Rin shouted, fed up, "You're going to help me get him up to the deck. And you, Simon, will _not_ die unless you want me to come after you and kick your ass. Do you hear me?"

Smiling weakly at her, Simon nodded as they helped him to his feet. Thankfully, they were able to support his weight with their flight systems, so he was spared the pain of walking. It still hurt like hell as they drifted back the way they had come. Lady luck did smile on them in at least one way; they were spared any enemy encounters. When they returned to the deck of the carrier, they saw that the others had finished the remaining enemies off. They were all in various levels of exhaustion and damage. But when they saw the two girls carrying a bleeding Simon, they all dropped what they were doing and hurried over. Laura, thankfully, had taken basic medical training, and she drew on it now as she destructed her IS. "Lay him down on the deck," she instructed as she walked over. Without a word, Rin and Cecilia did as she said, although Cecilia stayed next to him and kept a firm grip on his hand.

"Well…at least I'll die…with a good view," Simon said, admiring the blue sky. It had never looked so beautiful to him before, and part of him knew it was because he was starting to become delirious due to blood loss. "After all of the battles we've been through, American," Laura said as she examined the wound, "I can't believe that this little scratch is what's making you act this way." "Thanks for…the encouragement…Laura." Meanwhile, Houki was clinging to Ichika, hoping against everything that she wasn't witnessing the death of another friend. Charlotte was standing behind Cecilia with Rin, both girls unsure of what they could do. Tatenashi had her hands clasped in front of her, looking helpless as well, and clearly not used to the feeling. Laura had summoned a first aid kit (why she had one, no one knew or was about to complain) and went to work trying to patch the wound as best as she could. Thankfully, his IS' continuous inversion of the shield around the wound combined with the make-shift bandage was serving to slow the bleeding by a good measure. However, as Laura continued to try and stop the bleeding completely, she realized that unless he got medical attention fast he was going to bleed out.

"Cecilia…" Simon said, pulling her in closer, "I need…to tell you…something." "Simon…please, don't…" she replied, already dreading what she was about to hear. "Listen, I just…wanted to say that…I'm sorry," he said, "I'm the reason that…you've had to…suffer like this. And I'm…so sorry for that… If I had never…if we hadn't…" "No, don't say that," she said, shaking her head, "I don't regret a moment of it. Not any of the time we spent together, or any of the things I thought and felt. Now stop talking, you're going to be fine. We're going to have a lot more time together, so don't you dare die." Simon just cracked a weak smile as he noticed his vision fading around the edges. "I'm not…sure that…I can…do…that…"

With that, Simon felt his eyes slide closed while he slowly sunk into oblivion. "Simon?" Cecilia asked, her breath hitching. Noticing the change, Laura leaned over him and placed her ear on his chest. "I still hear a heartbeat," she said as she looked back at Cecilia. She was already starting to tear up again, and Laura couldn't do much more in these conditions. "Houki, we need you," she said as she stood back up, "You need to take him to the Academy as fast as you can. It's the closest land to us." Without hesitation, Houki stepped forward and started to pick the unconscious blonde up. "I'm coming, to," Cecilia said as she stood up with her, still holding Simon's hand. Houki didn't even try to argue as they took off and flew back the way they had come. Cecilia, thanks to her shift into a 4th gen, was able to keep pace with Houki well enough. _Please, hold on, Simon_ she begged as she noticed his bandages starting to soak through with more blood.

* * *

Looking around, Simon was mildly surprised to see that he had returned to that inner space in the IS core. _I wonder why I came here_ he thought as he looked around. He was strangely light-headed, and he looked down to see that his pilot suit was completely intact, as was his body. "You really are several kinds of stupid, aren't you?" he heard. Turning around, he saw his IS' AI, 13, standing behind him, smiling like she always did. "You couldn't go more than a few days without getting hurt, could you?" she asked, walking forward. "What can I say?" he replied, "I'm a risk taker. So, why am I here?" "You're here because I'm not about to let you die, stupid." "You're starting to sound like Rin," Simon noted, looking around. He was suddenly feeling very tired, and a little short of breath. Suddenly, he felt a surge through his chest that hurt like hell. He tried to cry out, but only managed a ragged gasp as the pain continued for what felt like hours. When it stopped, he dropped to his knees and greedily sucked in air.

"Wh-what did you just do?" he managed after a time, looking up. 13 had walked over to stand in front of him by this point. Kneeling down, she replied, "I just used some of your remaining energy to restart your heart. Now focus, Simon. You have a promise to keep." "So, you heard that, did you?" he asked, smiling sheepishly. "I hear everything through my stand-by form, Simon," she replied, her smile turning mischievous, "That was some rather risky behavior with your girlfriend in the past, by the way." This caused Simon to blush rather badly as he looked away. She just giggled at this reaction before she helped him back onto his feet. "So, why am I here, really?" he asked, trying to stay focused. Leading him over to a table with a pair of chairs (where they had come from, he had no clue), she explained, "You're here so I can monitor you more closely and keep you alive while your friends get you to a hospital." "You're really confidant," he said before he collapsed into the chair, feeling numbness starting to creep into his limbs.

Rubbing his hands together, he tried to dispel it, but didn't succeed. Looking up, he saw that 13 was still smiling as she sat down opposite him. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked, starting to feel a little cold. "My last operator was an incredibly cheerful person," 13 told him, laughing softly, "I think it rubbed off on me." "Clearly." "Anyway," she continued, ignoring his comment, "I thought this would be a good chance for us to talk properly." "Why?" he asked, "We both know that my odds of living through that wound are slim to none. What's the point?" In an instant, 13's demeanor changed. She suddenly became serious and focused, the humor that was present in her eyes replaced with a calculating look. It was enough to unnerve Simon slightly. "You're here so that I can keep your mind alive while my subroutines keep your body alive," she explained, sounding serious, "You're here because despite what you may think of me, I do have morals and I won't stand by and watch you die." "And how exactly are you going to keep my mind alive?"

"By doing what we're doing now," she replied, smiling slightly, "So, what are you going to do when you get out of this?" "Seriously, that's your plan? Keep me talking?" Simon asked, stunned. When 13 just sat there expectantly, he sighed and continued, "Well, I will probably get to suffer through a ton of apologies. I did drag everyone into this, after all." "And we're going to stop that right here," 13 said, sitting upright, "This is _not your fault_. Get that through your thick skull. This was the result of a freak accident that some people tried to twist towards their advantage." "But I allowed them to continue with the test when I knew that it wasn't safe," he protested, feeling that old wound opening again. "And what would they have done if you had objected and tried to force them to stop?" 13 asked. Before he could reply, she continued, "They would have dismissed you and brought someone in that wouldn't object before continuing at the same pace. This is on their heads, not yours."

"But I still had the chance to end this," Simon said, "Twice, actually. I could have taken Gos- Sarah, I could have taken Sarah down when she appeared at the resort." "That fight was stacked in her favor from the get-go," 13 told him, "And before you try and make another excuse; you staying with them when they captured you wouldn't have stopped this from going this far. Your sister and her comrades were set on this course from the beginning." "And how do you figure that?" Simon challenged. How this program could believe it knew his sister better than him was bordering on insulting. "I may not be able to fully grasp some of the logic you people use," she explained, softening her tone slightly, "But I _can_ tell you more about what your sister was towards the end. The process to turn them into what they were is essentially a fusion." Simon just sat there, thinking about what she had just told him. Finally, unable to make total sense of it (due in no small part to the fact that he felt himself fading again), he asked, "What does that mean?"

"The process imprints a person's brain waves onto the IS core," 13 explained, "It is essentially a brute-force method of turning a human into an AI. However, the original IS cores have their own respective intelligence. When the human mind is imprinted onto the core, it overwrites certain parts of the AI's program. At the same time, certain parts of that program overwrite parts of that person's mind and memories. What's left is a hybrid of the two minds, but not exactly the most stable being." Through all of this, Simon sat there and absorbed all that she was saying. Now that it was all laid out for him, it explained some of the quirks with them when he talked to them. "But, how can you know this?" he asked finally. "When I back-tracked the connection between the virus to the IS known as 'Fairy,' I got a brief glimpse of her core's program," 13 told him, "It wasn't long enough for a detailed analysis, but enough to show signs of _both_ minds working in a kind of chaotic-harmony."

"Then what I killed…" Simon said, feeling sick, "What she was at the end… She wasn't really my sister, was she?" At this, 13 changed from cold and calculating back to her old self, although she looked genuinely hurt for him. "I'm sorry," she said, "But no. Parts of her were definitely genuine, and I'm sure her memories of you were what made her more human than the others. But, she wasn't your sister, Simon." He felt conflicted over that. On the one hand, it was worse to learn that it was the remains of his sister that he had fought. He couldn't even imagine what it was like to exist like that. But, on the other hand he was relieved that her suffering was finally over. And it was by his hand, not some stranger. There was a twisted kind of solace to be had with that. Before he could dwell on this internal conflict any more, he felt the familiar pain as 13 shocked him again to keep his heart going.

"Be honest with me," he asked after he had steadied his breathing, "What are my chances?" 13 sat there for some time, clearly running through any and all variables she could conceive. Finally, she said, "Baring any sneak attacks by remnants of Gospel's forces, I'd say that your odds sit around 20%." "Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't know how much longer I've got," Simon said. He could feel himself fading again, growing much colder. "Simon, no!" 13 said. Suddenly, the chairs and table disappeared and she was next to him, keeping him standing upright. "Stay with me, Simon! Stay awake!" Realizing that saying that wouldn't work, she tried another approach. "You never finished answering my question," she said, gentler this time, "What are you going to do after you get through this? What about you and Cecilia?"

At the mention of her name, Simon brightened a bit. _That's right_ he thought, _I have a promise to keep_. "Well… I guess the first thing I'll do is make sure I never make her cry again," he said, feeling some of his strength returning, "Then, I would make sure to honor my original promise." "And what promise is that, Simon?" 13 prompted. She needed to hear him say it. More importantly, she knew that he needed to hear himself say it. "I promised that I wasn't going to leave her," he responded, stronger this time, "And I won't."

* * *

He felt warmth first; enough that it was comforting but not so much that it was stifling. For the longest time he lay there with his eyes closed, unwilling to move. This was the first peaceful rest he had had in a while, and he was loath to disturb it. Finally, he forced his eyes open only to squint from the light coming in through the window. After a few minutes of watery eyes, he adjusted to the light enough to see the familiar surroundings of the Academy's medical center. _When you recognize the ceiling at first glance, you've been here too many times_ he thought with a smirk. Rolling his head to the right, he saw an IV and a heartbeat monitor, the latter of the two showing a strong, steady rhythm. Looking back to the left, he saw a rather familiar person in a familiar place. Cecilia was sleeping with her head on his bed; her hand entwined with his and tear streaks down her face.

Moving his hand up, he started to wipe the tears off her face while he tried not to let his guilt overwhelm him. He had made her cry, again. Rather than dwell on it, he focused on the fact that he had kept his promise. The movement of his hand was enough to rouse her from her sleep, and she looked up at him, trying to blink the weariness out of her eyes. When she finally saw that he was awake and looking at her, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, grasping his hand in both of hers. "Simon?" she asked, barely above a whisper. He nodded at her, cracking a small smile as he saw how she just lit up. Without any prompting, she leaned forward and kissed him, tears starting to return to her eyes. "Why do you always have to make me worry?" she asked finally, leaning back a bit, "Every time I leave you alone, you do something stupid and get hurt." "What can I say, I like taking risks," he replied, leaning up slightly, "And don't pretend that you don't like it."

With a huff, Cecilia punched his shoulder, saying, "This is the last time I will allow it. Am I understood, peasant?" "Yes, princess," he replied, laughing softly. She struggled to stay mad at him, but it didn't last. Eventually, she was laughing along with him, relieved that he was okay. It had been a serious challenge getting him back to the Academy for treatment. While Houki focused on keeping him stable as they flew, Cecilia had called ahead to let Chifuyu know what had happened. The woman hadn't been too pleased with them, but when she learned how badly Simon had been wounded she had quickly focused on getting him the proper attention. During the flight, the girls had noticed that Simon's IS was still active, and that at about the half-way point it had delivered a shock to his chest. "What the heck was that?" Houki had asked. Since she was in contact with the IS, she had received a portion of the charge. It wasn't enough to hurt, but she did feel it. "I don't know," Cecilia had replied, feeling helpless. Because of their position and the speed they were traveling at she hadn't been able to actually monitor him, and it was killing her.

When they had arrived back at the island, his IS had done it again. "What is it doing to him?" Cecilia had asked one of the paramedics as they examined the boy. "I don't know," she had responded, trying to work around the armor, "But I'd guess that it's an improvised defibrillator. Probably saved his life." _His IS is trying so save him, to_ Cecilia realized. Finally, Tabane had forced it to destruct to allow the paramedics to get him secured properly. After that, Cecilia had spent her time in the waiting room as the doctors worked to repair the damage. The energy blade had apparently missed most of the vital organs, although the damage to the digestive tract was bad enough that they were going to have to reattach certain sections. Just listening to them list the damage he had suffered had made her feel sick, but Houki had thankfully been there to keep her comforted. Kanzashi had arrived at the center soon after they had, hearing that Simon had been hurt. She had also tried to comfort the girl, even though it wasn't really her strong suit.

Simon spent hours in surgery, while Cecilia kept track of every minute, praying that they would save him. Eventually, the others arrived, cleaned up and dressed properly. Ichika had told her that Chifuyu had wanted a full rundown of their attack on Gospel's forces before she would release them. Finally, one of the doctors entered the waiting room, looking rather tired. "Cecilia Alcott?" she asked, knowing full well her relation to the patient. "Is he alright?" Cecilia had asked as she stood up. "We did what we could," the doctor told her, "I'm optimistic, but we're going to have to wait until he wakes up." Sensing the girl's next question, she gestured down the hall, saying, "Room 112." Cecilia had rushed down the hall without any prompting while the others stayed back. They all figured that the two blondes could use some time alone.

She had stayed by his bed all night, talking with him at first. This had dissolved into crying as he remained unresponsive before she finally fell asleep, too exhausted to stay awake. _But he's awake now_ she thought as she looked at him. He was probably a little stiff, and that wound was definitely going to leave a scar, but he was alive. "Well, at least you kept your promise," she finally said as she went to sit back down. Before she could move, Simon reached up and cupped the back of her head before pulling her down into an awkward hug. "I'm sorry, Cecilia," he said as he kissed her head, "I'm so sorry." She was surprised at first, but it quickly turned into relief that resulted in her losing all restraint. She started to cry again and she wrapped her arms around him as best as she could. "Don't ever make me worry like that again," she managed between sobs. Simon just lay there, massaging the back of her neck as she let it all out. "I won't, I promise," he said, kissing her head again.

 **The fight is over and done, with our IS pilots coming out on top. They may bear a few scars, but they wear them proudly as they begin to recover. And for those that actually believed I was about to kill my OC off, how cold-blooded do you think I am? "But wait, Palladin, what about what you mentioned last chapter about another story arc?" Hmm, I wonder…**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25; Bittersweet

Simon spent the better part of two days in the medical center recovering. In that time, all of his friends stopped by to check in on him as well as to express how happy they were that everyone made it out alive. The day before he was released, Chifuyu brought everyone into the room for a closed-door meeting. Tabane was there, as well as Maya. In fact, looking around, Simon noticed that everyone that knew the truth, or at least most of it, about Gospel was there. Tabane had placed a device at the end of his bed, something that was probably used to keep people outside from eavesdropping. "What we're about to discuss doesn't leave this room. Is that clear?" Chifuyu said in a serious tone, causing everyone to focus rather quickly. When the all nodded, she continued, "After careful thought, Tabane and I have decided that the official records will be altered. If anyone asks you, this was a terrorist cell with access to IS technology. Is that clear?"

It took everyone a moment to fully process what she had just said. Finally, it was Rin who spoke up. "You want to bury this?" she asked, sounding shocked. Several others, including Cecilia, mirrored her shock, and Simon could see it was quickly turning into outrage. As several of them spoke out at once, Chifuyu held up a hand for silence. "I realize what I'm asking you all to do," she said, softening her tone slightly, "But to let the true nature of this enemy become public knowledge would do more harm than good at this point. Besides, it has already been done." "I released a few viruses this morning," Tabane told them, not looking happy with it, "They erased all of the existing records and replaced them with our falsified reports. Additionally, the IS pilots that disposed of the carrier and escort ship have also sworn to keep this to themselves. As for the ships, they are in pieces at the bottom of the ocean, making recovery difficult."

"We just need everyone in this room to agree to this, as well," Chifuyu finished, looking around. Her glare was challenging, daring any of them to try and disagree with her. She didn't like having to lie, especially not on this scale. But she and Tabane had agreed that if this fully came to light the repercussions would be massive. "So, we just have to lie for the rest of our lives?" Simon asked, trying to keep his temper under control. First, he had to lie to his friends, and now he had to lie to _everyone_. That was asking too much. "You more than anyone else here should understand why this is necessary, Felix," she said, staring daggers at him. She had expected either Simon or Cecilia to be the first to openly object, since they knew the entire truth. Gritting his teeth, Simon looked ready to fire back some hot-tempered response when Cecilia took one of his hands. Looking at her, they shared a telepathic moment that appeared to help him make a decision.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up and said, "Alright. I'm not happy about this, but alright." Everyone else agreed in varying degrees of enthusiasm, none of them really happy with the idea of lying but all of them understanding why it was necessary. Nodding, Chifuyu left the room with Maya in tow without another word, satisfied that they would keep their word. Those kids might be an incredible pain in her ass, but they were reliable. Tabane somehow managed to disappear without a trace, taking her anti-eavesdrop machine with her and leaving bewildered teens in her wake. "Okay, I think it's time we left as well," Cecilia said, getting up, "Oh, and Simon? Remember what I told you on the beach?" It took Simon a moment to realize where she was going, but when he saw Rin and Tatenashi hanging back in the room with grins borrowed from devils, he paled considerably.

"You wouldn't," he said too late. Cecilia had already shepherded the others out of the room before closing the door with an evil wink. "So, Feli, I heard that you've been a bad boy," Tatenashi said, walking up on one side of the bed. Rin walked up on the other side, grabbing his arm to keep him from struggling too much. "Hey, can't we talk about this?" he asked, trying to sink into the wall, noticing something in Rin's other hand. It was a large purse and looked suspiciously full to him. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Nope," before bringing out several items, some of which looked suspiciously like makeup. "Mercy!" he cried as they pounced. Several staff members passing the door heard cries and giggles before they continued on their way. Chifuyu had told them all something like this would happen, and had also said to ignore it.

When he was released the next day, Simon made a bee-line for his room and locked the door before collapsing on his bed with a sigh. His stomach still hurt from the stab wound, and would continue to do so for the next few weeks. But a person could only sleep in a hospital bed for so long before they started developing other problems. Ichika came into the room an hour later, looking exhausted from classes. The others had been given a day to recover before they returned to their studies, and the bluenette was clearly not enjoying it. "Let me guess," Simon said, sitting up, "Advanced Weapons theory?" "I don't even know why we need to learn this stuff!" Ichika exclaimed, tossing his bag down before face-planting into his own bed, "I'm a pilot, not a mechanic! Why do I need to learn how my weapons work?" "In case you need to work through a fault?" Simon offered, getting a glare from his friend. "Not helping," he mumbled before pulling himself up to the pillow, "Wake me when it's time to eat." Smiling, Simon thanked whatever deity that was looking out for him as lay back down. _It's good to be back_.

* * *

The next few days were spent playing catch-up, as well as some specialized punishment from Chifuyu for running off without her permission. The others had apparently already had theirs, so Simon was left to do his alone. And it just so happened to include system maintenance on _every_ IS the Academy owned. Now on the fourth machine, Simon sighed in frustration as he found, once again, a list of minor construction and programming errors. They weren't enough to actually put the pilot at risk or degrade the suit's performance seriously, but they were enough that if he left them alone it would bug him for weeks. _Probably why she picked this as my punishment_ he thought with a scowl as he closed the diagnostic results and started to open various panels on it. He was in the middle of resetting the gyroscopes for auto-balance when he heard someone come into the shop. "If that's you, Chifuyu," he said, not even looking up, "I've only just started. At this pace I'll probably be done at the end of the month." "Well, that's no good. Maybe I should give you a hand?"

Looking up in surprise, he saw Cecilia carrying two Japanese box lunches and water. She smiled at him before placing the food on a tray and walking over to him. "Well, this is a surprise. To what do I owe your splendid presence?" he asked, smiling back. "I'd say it was Rin's idea, but that wouldn't be true," she said, kneeling down and examining what he was working on, "So, what are you doing?" "You really want me to talk tech?" Simon asked, trying not to laugh, "I warn you, I can almost be as bad as Tabane once I get started." "Then by all means, start. I wanted to spend time with you, anyways," she said, leaning in and kissing his cheek. With a small shrug, he began to explain, carefully, what he was currently working on. He pointed out every part as he mentioned it, and soon enough Cecilia was following along with him and even making suggestions. She had made a special effort since she had first started to fall for him to pay attention in the technical classes, and now it was paying off as she got to apply that knowledge here.

They worked on the IS together for an hour before breaking to eat, and by this time they both had a healthy coating of grime on their hands. Cecilia didn't seem to mind; in fact she seemed to enjoy the work, which was slightly surprising to Simon. "I didn't think you enjoyed working with your hands," he said finally. "Why? Because I'm wealthy and sophisticated?" she shot back, sounding mad. "That's not what I meant," Simon said quickly, "It's just that I didn't- I mean, you…I-" As he continued to stammer Cecilia just started to laugh. He was so easy to see through. After a while, Simon joined her, mentally smacking himself for falling for something so obvious. After they had recovered and eaten, they returned to the IS and finished it a lot sooner than if Simon was on his own. As they left for the dorms, Simon took her hand and kissed her cheek, saying, "Thanks for the help today." "Same time tomorrow?" she asked, receiving a nod.

Leaning into Simon, she was so close to kissing him again when she noticed someone standing behind him. Looking over his shoulder, she saw Rin and Charlotte, both smiling at her. Cecilia immediately turned a bright red, which got even darker when Simon turned and saw them, too. "How long have you two been there?" he asked, trying not to blush as well. "Long enough," Rin said. "My, that's quite bold, Cecilia," Charlotte commented, laughing, "I never knew you had it in you. And with machine grease on you, too." "Charlotte!" Cecilia cried, sounding indignant. "Hey, maybe that's what they use to, you know," Rin said before jumping out of reach as Simon dove at her. "You'll pay for that, half-pint!" Simon promised, finally blushing. "You'll have to catch me first, lover boy!" Rin teased as she danced out of reach again. Meanwhile, Cecilia was trying to convince a laughing Charlotte that she had it all wrong.

Up in her office, Chifuyu watched the kids in the main plaza, smiling at how care-free they were now. _Of course, they don't have the distractions that adults do_ she thought. Turning back to Tabane, she said, "Cancel any tests you're running on the samples we have and destroy them." "Are you sure, Chifu-ni?" she asked, looking like a kid losing a favorite toy, "They have some _really_ interesting coding. It would be such a waste." "We can't allow this to be discovered, Tabane," Chifuyu said, sitting down at her desk, "It's too dangerous. Destroy them." With a huff, Tabane turned to leave. "Tabane, I mean it," Chifuyu called after her, her tone making it clear there was no room for debate. Regardless of what the Chifuyu thought about the cores they had salvaged, there was something about the replicated cores that still nagged at Tabane. Something she couldn't pin down but knew instinctively was important. But, Chifu-ni had given her a direct order, and that woman would know if she didn't follow it. _Such a waste_ she thought with a sigh.

After a grueling week of classes, Simon found himself sitting at one of the empty docks. He enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the mainland. The reds and oranges would get caught and reflected by the many buildings, making it look like the city was lit up. "So, 13, what's your answer to that question I asked you?" Simon asked, looking down at his watch. A small hologram of the AI appeared above it, looking up at him and smiling. "I think we both know what my answer is, Simon," she replied, giggling, "But, just so you can hear me say it; yes, I would like to remain as your core." He had asked the AI earlier that week, feeling slightly guilty about her position. She was essentially a person, but she was delegated to being his core's AI. He had wanted to know if she had wanted more freedom, and he hadn't hesitated to mention that if she didn't want him around that he was okay with it.

"Remember, Simon, I'm not a slave, whatever my situation may be," she said as if reading his thoughts, "If I didn't want you as my operator, than I wouldn't have responded to you." "Well, that's good to hear," he said, relaxing, "One more thing off my shoulders." "Have you been cheating on me, Simon?" Cecilia asked, startling him. He hadn't realized she had come up behind him. He could almost imagine a gun barrel pointed at the back of his head, but when he turned around all he saw was the girl he loved smiling at him. "So, are you going to introduce me?" she asked, her tone full of humor. 13 beat him to the response, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you in person, as it were. I am the Artificial Intelligence that governs IS core 13. You can just call me 13, to make it easier." "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, to, 13," Cecilia responded, bowing slightly, "I also want to say thank you for saving this dimwit's life. You helped greatly." "Someone has to look out for him when he's on his own," 13 said, smiling. "Hey!" Simon said, trying to sound indignant and failing.

13 then turned back to Simon and winked before flashing out of existence, leaving the two of them alone. Cecilia then joined him as they watched the sunset, scooting closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he snaked his arm around her hip and pulled her closer. "This is a rather nice view," she remarked, although it wasn't really the view she was interested in. "I'm guessing that you're not here just for that," Simon said, sensing some tension in her. "I wanted to talk to you, actually," she said, sitting up and looking at him, "I wanted to know what you wanted to do next. What _we_ were going to do next." This earned her a soft laugh from the blonde, to which she responded with an indignant look and a slight shove. "Hey, I'm being serious!" "I know, and I'm sorry but it's just too funny," he said, pulling her in closer, "You really think I plan things out that far? Really?"

Cecilia just looked at him for a moment, a little too stunned for words. "I never really laid any extensive plans in my life," Simon told her, smiling, "I was never much good at it when I tried, so I stopped a number of years back." "So, does that mean-?" "I'm not done," he interrupted, "I won't try and predict where we'll be in a few years; I'm not that ambitious. As long as it's with you, I don't think I care where I end up." Smiling back, Cecilia felt herself starting to tear up. It wasn't from sadness or pain this time, but happiness. While not exactly what she wanted to hear from him, it was close enough that she felt at ease. "I feel the same," she said as she leaned into him. Cupping her face with his other hand, Simon leaned in and gave her a long kiss. When they separated they returned to watching the sunset, content with the way things had turned out. _We will always have each other_ they thought, snuggling closer.

Up in Ichika and Simon's room, Ichika was sitting at his desk and working on some classwork when he heard a knock at the door. When he opened it he was mildly surprised to find Houki standing there. Smiling, he let her in before closing the door. "So, something I can do for you, Houki?" he asked, sitting down on the bed. "Uh-um, y-yes, there is," she said, blushing and looking away, "Just sit there for a moment, o-okay?" Tilting his head to one side, he looked at her, confused. She was acting a lot shyer around him than usual. It was true that she wasn't really comfortable with displays of affection, even when they had been alone. Something they both grappled with, actually, and Ichika reminded himself to ask Simon for some pointers to get over that nervousness.

"I ju-just wanted to s-say that…" she stammered, turning a brighter red, "Aw, screw it." Without any hesitation she walked over and pushed him down on the bed before sitting on top of him and kissing him rather passionately. Caught off guard, Ichika laid there for a moment, too stunned to do anything. He then reached up and pulled her down onto him before returning the kiss. Finally releasing him, she rolled off, panting and still looking very embarrassed. "What's with that all of the sudden?" Ichika asked, still confused. "I-I just thought that since we were, you know," she said, averting her eyes, "Together, that we should be doing this more often. It _is_ what people do." "Houki, if you don't want to do this, don't force yourself," he said, getting up on one arm, "I'm not saying I don't like it. I do. It's just that I don't want to do this just because you feel you _have to_."

For a brief second she thought he was rejecting her, and it was almost enough to trigger her ass-kick mode. Then she actually thought about what he had said, and she smiled up at him as she finally understood. He loved her for being _her_ , not some other girl. Forcing herself to change because she thought she had to wouldn't get them any further in the relationship. "I understand," she said, "And I want to be more, Ichika." Reaching up, she brushed his chest while trying to pull him into another kiss. Reaching out, he stopped her, smiling sadly. "I can't say that I don't want that either. But if we got caught doing _that_ , neither of us would live it down." Sudden understanding flashed through her mind and Houki blushed furiously as she realized what she had just asked of him. Getting up, she stammered an apology before darting from the room. Looking at the closed door for a moment in longing, Ichika laughed to himself quietly while thinking, _yeah, we really are a lot alike_.

* * *

The last few months of their classes passed with relatively little incident, although it took Houki a while before she had recovered enough to be around Ichika without blushing madly. This only gave the others something to rib the two about, and Rin and Tatenashi spent a solid week trying to figure out what they had done together to cause such a reaction. Aside from that, and a rather interesting festival in which Simon and Ichika were forced to guard their crowns from a horde of girls (all of it Tatenashi's doing, of course), the year ended with little real excitement. This suited Simon just fine. A few near-death experiences tends to mellow a person out, and he was content to have his friends and girlfriend. At the celebration marking the end of their first year, Simon and Cecilia were voted the cutest couple, although it was a close race between them and Houki/Ichika. Despite both boys being officially taken, they still had quite a fan club with the first-year students.

Several members of the staff delivered rather moving speeches before Maya called for Simon to join her on the stage. "Wait, I thought it was the job of the student body president to make the final speech?" he asked, looking around. "It normally is, Feli," Tatenashi said from behind him, making him jump, "But I decided this year it can be all yours." "Wait, what? No, I don't do speeches-" he managed before she took his arm and dragged him onto the stage. "I'm sure by now all of you know this boy very well," she said, keeping a firm grip on him, "So, I give you Simon Felix for the closing speech." And with that, she left him on the stage. Staring at the microphone, Simon struggled not to tense up too much. "Alright, as I'm sure some of you know, I'm not one for speaking publicly, so I'll try to keep this brief," he began, starting to relax, "When I first came to this Academy, I was expecting to slog through endless classes and lectures. I expected to be bored out of my mind by the end of the first month. As I'm sure you all know by now, that didn't happen.

"Throughout my time here, I met many wonderful people, both students and staff. In time, I called them friends, and one of them even became something more to me." At this, several girls in the crowed 'awed,' causing Cecilia to blush madly. "And while I can't say that this was the most interesting year of my life, since I still have another two years here," he continued, getting a small chuckle from the crowd, "I can say that it is one that I will never forget. You are all wonderful people, despite any disagreements we may have had, and I sincerely hope to see all of you back here next year." Without saying anything else, he stepped back and turned to leave. _Not the best speech_ he thought, _but not bad for an improvised one_. He wasn't prepared for the applause, though in hindsight he shouldn't have been too surprised. It quickly picked up and was shortly followed by a few whistles and cat-calls as some of the more energetic girls got fired up. "Not bad for your first time," Tatenashi said as he returned to his seat, blushing slightly. "What do you expect?" Cecilia asked, "He's my man, after all." Rather than deny it, Simon put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her head. "Yes, I am," he said as several of them laughed. Those two were so cute together, after all.

 **And with that, their adventure ends. Simon and his friends have finally dealt with the human IS, ensuring that the future Maylin warned them of would never come to pass. They now move towards the future, secure in the knowledge that they have won.**

 **This completes the Raven Arc, with Simon and company moving on with their lives, some of them even marrying and having children. I would like to take the time to thank everyone that stuck it through with this first story, especially since it was my very first.**

 _System reset complete_

 _Running basic diagnostic_

 _Reserve power: 86.56%_

 _Primary weapon system: offline_

 _Secondary weapon system: offline_

 _Flight system: offline_

 _Movement/balance systems: 5.34%_

 _Sensors: 22.93%_

 _Long-range communications: online_

 _Distress beacon activated_

 _Confirmation signal received_

 _Rescue ship inbound_

 _They will pay, they will all_ pay

 **Oh, right. That victory might not have been as complete as they thought. Hehehe…**

 **To be concluded.**


End file.
